Blog – Page 16 – Joel Bidderman

Songs in the Night: I Need Thee Every Hour

I said,“Let me remember my song in the night; let me meditate in my heart.” Then my spirit made a diligent search... I will remember the deeds of the Lord; yes, I will remember your wonders of old. I will ponder all your work, and meditate on your mighty deeds. -Psalm 77:6&11-12 "Songs in the Night" is a name/phrase that I've used over the years for worship in the night hours. The very first prayer/worship vigil that I ever led was called by that name, and it kind of stuck. I've been thinking about that again after leading worship at the Alliance of Renewal Churches' midwest gathering. We led a time of soaking worship in the Word, [...]

2018-01-17T22:38:03+00:00By Joel|Music, prayer, Songs in the Night|

Ordinary Heroes: the glory of hiddenness

“I am a Christian, not because someone explained the nuts and bolts of Christianity, but because there were people willing to be nuts and bolts.” ― Rich Mullins This is the paradox [of discipleship]: accompanying the unveiling of Jesus there is a veiling of us in the same moment, and therein lays the real glory of transformation: the glory of hiddenness. - Graeme Sellers I've been thinking a lot about how the Christians who have shaped me the most significantly are not the ones who are outwardly polished, living an ideal 'untainted by the world.' Actually, in numerous accounts, I've found those to be the ones with great potential for damage, because they tend to project [...]

2015-01-12T00:59:08+00:00By Joel|discipleship, Jesus Christ, Jesus Shaped Community, The Dangerous Kind|

Whispers of the Ancient Path

"The Lord bless you and keep you; The Lord make His face shine upon you, And be gracious to you. The Lord lift up His countenance upon you, And give you peace." Numbers 6:24-26 I know the title is a bit mysterious...and probably a bit too epic for a blog, but it is what it is. I've just been contemplating how the grit of schedules, paying bills, and doing things we enjoy (while putting up with the things we don't), can often make us feel like we're just hanging on. The dust and sweat of life lingers inch by inch closer to tomorrow and it often feels so consuming. One of the themes of my life [...]

2018-01-17T22:39:12+00:00By Joel|discipleship, Featured, Home of Prayer|

Home

"The Kingdom of God is where we belong. It is home, and whether we realize it or not, I think we are all of us homesick for it." - Frederick Buechner This morning I'm sitting on the porch, with coffee, and thinking about home. Which is a little ironic since I'm in my house. But house doesn't equal home. And the worlds that we carry around with us are so much more than the green and blue rock we live on. Frederick Buechner said it this way, “You can kiss your family and friends good-bye and put miles between you, but at the same time you carry them with you in your heart, your mind, [...]

2018-01-17T23:48:11+00:00By Joel|Music, nature, Nomad Chronicles, prayer, trust|