Owner: Josh Via URL:www.joshvia.com Join Date: Tue, 30 Oct 2007 12:02:14 -0500 Rating:0 Site Description: The travel guide to the ministry of Josh and Tasha Via. Posts include ministry highlights, worship set lists, spiritual and family experiences and devotional thoughts from the Word of God... and of course the occasional video disclosing family mayhem. Site statistics:Click here
Truth and Truth-Tellers Part 2 2008-03-28 20:46:00 When the stakes are high and in our favor, we want things to be a certain way, we want words to have a specific meaning, we want to claim a higher standard beyond our own. But when the deck is stacked against us, suddenly words can fluctuate. Meaning can change. Truth
becomes relative. Subjective. A matter of preference and opinion. We see this type contradiction lived out to no end. For example: A man claims that there is no absolute truth or standard to which he must answer and to which he must give an account. His car gets jacked. He’s livid. He suddenly wants to appeal to a higher standard, a standard of truth to which he can stake his claim that he’s been done wrong. That he’s been violated. But he contradicts himself. In normal life he indirectly submits to a
Truth and Truth-Tellers Part 1 2008-03-27 20:34:00 It’s been all over the news the last couple of days. It has consumed the airwaves, the morning shows, and the late night comedy routines. You can read about it here. What did Hillary Clinton actually experience when she visited Bosnia so many years ago? Was she, in fact, under sniper fire when she landed on the tarmac as she recently claimed? Was she delusional? Was she having a little too much fun on Air Force One just moments before she landed? Was she simply mistaken about the details? She says that she “misspoke” because she was tired and exhausted during that particular press conference. But can one “misspeak” on multiple occasions and the excuse still be legitimate? If you know me that well at all, you probably know that I care very little for the world of politics (a Read more:Truth
Ministry 3-30-08 2008-03-31 15:34:00 Yesterday Tasha and I were back at Southbrook Church in Weddington, NC leading worship for the first Sunday of the new series, "One Month to Live."Yesterday's Playlist:1. (Pre-Service) Nothing Left to Lose (Mat Kearney)2. Our Love is Loud (Crowder)3. Counting on God (Desperation)4. Be Thou My Vision (Trad. hymn w/ arrang. and addit. chorus by me)5. I Stand Amazed (Trad. hymn, arrang. Chris Tomlin)The One Month to Live challenge has got Tasha and me thinking alot lately--about priorities, what's important, what we would change or do differently if we only had 30 days left to live. It's been challenging to say the least. We're trying to make a list of 5 things we would change or adjust, and it's been really hard to do. If I was still in middle school, I could probably come up with 10 thin Read more:Ministry
Flashback Friday: One Day 2000 2008-04-04 22:03:00 This is where the love relationship between Tasha and I began to bloom--One Day
2000 in Memphis, TN. One Day was the first gathering of its kind under the vision of Louie Giglio and his Passion Collegiate Conferences. On May 20, 2000, at least 40,000 college students gathered from all around the US with their tents, sleeping bags and Bibles, all for one purpose--to worship the living God of the universe. It was at this conference that Tasha and I realized just how much we had in common. That it wasn't just the music, but we realized that we both wanted to live lives completely sold-out to Jesus Christ. We both wanted to live our lives on purpose for the glory of God. To make our lives count for eternity. And that's exactly what we're trying to do. To raise kids who love Jesus. To Read more:Friday
Gene Davis 2008-04-03 19:07:00 We're back in Roanoke, VA this weekend. It was a last minute trip. Not the kind that you enjoy making given the circumstances. My great uncle Gene went home to be with the Lord this morning about 2:00 am. Over the last several weeks he really started going downhill in his battle with Alzheimer's disease. Thankfully, he wasn't in any pain when he passed. Gene was a firmly committed follower of Christ most all of his life, and finished his race strong. His wife, my aunt Velma, is now a widow for the second time. Her first husband passed away many years ago, also a strong Christian. Now, Velma faces another tragedy in her life, but one that she bravely faces head-on in the strength of Christ and in the comfort that He brings in times like these.My Dad was able to be there by Gene's b Read more:Davis
The Law and the Prophets 2008-04-07 21:58:00 I'm totally digging Luke Wood's debut CD The Law and the Prophets. Both musically and lyrically, Luke is refreshingly original and creative. And it's obvious that the man spends time in God's Word. Every song is bathed in Scripture and married to catchy melodies that stick in your head. If you buy any CD this month, get this one! And no one paid me to say that.
Playlists 4-6-08 2008-04-07 16:41:00 Parkwood Baptist Church, Gastonia, NC AM:1. All Hail the Pow'r/Raise Up the Crown (trad. w/ chorus by Chris Tomlin)2. Blessed Be Your Name (Redman)3. Be Thou My Vision/Now and Forever (trad. w/ chorus by me - this one will be on the new record, for sure. Hopefully before the year is out.)4. I Stand Amazed (trad. arr. by Chris Tomlin)5. Your Grace is EnoughRidge Church, Matthews, NC PM:1. I Am Free (Ross Parsley and Desperation)2. Counting on God (Desperation)3. Beautiful the Blood (Steve Fee - I love this new one by Steve. Amazing lyrics. Strong, powerful, and refreshingly, theologically sound.)4. At the Cross (Pocket Full of Rocks)
One of the Endless Connections Between Sand and Spirituality 2008-04-11 14:54:00 My kids are sand dwellers. Some days they closely resemble sand-dwelling, desert lizards because of the absurd length of time they spend in our turtle-shaped sandbox in the backyard. Trying to brush off and discard every grain of sand on their bodies prior to coming indoors is an unfeasible task to say the least. Usually they end up napping in a bed full of tiny grains of sand undetectable to the naked eye, but easily recognizable by the ear, for the grinding sound of what becomes human sandpaper pressing against their mattress with every rise and fall of their chest indicates the presence of the grainy culprits. Tasha and I periodically shake their mattresses free of the chafing-causing little devils only to free them into the depths of the murky bowels of their bedroom carpet—a hav Read more:Endless
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How To Be In The Church Band 2008-04-15 11:30:00 I saw this on a friend of mine's blog. Hilarious stuff from Northpoint! Read more:Church
Weddington Community Church 2008-04-14 22:06:00 Yesterday we started the day at Weddington Community Church
under the direction of Pastor Blake Bouldin. This was our first time at WCC and I don't think it will be our last. They received us well and took great care of us. I had my buddies, Brett Banks and Nathanael Bryan with me. Awesome guys and I love leading with them. We played:1. Let God Arise (Chris Tomlin)2. Counting on God (Desperation)3. Be Thou My Vision/Now and Forever4. Center (Charlie Hall)5. Mighty to Save (Hillsong)
CharlotteONE 4.15.08 2008-04-16 21:30:00 CharlotteONE went amazing last night. It was week two of a three-week series called Xtra Sexual, a series focusing on the Scriptural standard for human sexuality. Dr. Claude Alexander of University Park Baptist Church brought a great message examining the purity of Joseph in the midst of temptation. The Return Worship Band consisted of me and Tasha, Scott Spruill on keys, Andy Cherry on lead guitar, Nate Bryan on drums, Brandon Hiller on bass guitar and Sarah Scott on vocals. Sarah led on "One Pure and Holy Passion" and "None But Jesus" and totally knocked them out of the park. These guys are awesome to play with and one of my favorite bands that we've put together lately.We played:1. Joyful, Joyful (Charlie Hall version)2. Your Grace is Enough (Tomlin)3. Holy is the Lord (Tomlin)4. Go
How Tragedy Brings Glory to God 2008-04-17 22:10:00 Yesterday marked the 1-year anniversary of the Virginia Tech tragedy. Having grown up thirty minutes from Blacksburg, VA it hit close to home for me last year. One of my friends, Matthew Church, was supposed to be in the class where Cho opened fire, but he slept through his alarm and missed class.Continue to pray for the families that experienced loss in ways beyond what I could ever fathom or imagine.Though I would never pretend to have all the answers to life's tragedies, I'm thankful that there is a God who understands. He understands how it feels to lose His only Son to tragedy, to the wicked, murderous hand of psychotic executioners, much like Cho. Still, when tragedy strikes close to home it begs the question, "How could God possibly allow something like this to happen?" So, many Read more:Tragedy
For Those With No Back Story 2008-04-20 14:45:00 It was a great day back at Parkwood Baptist Church in Gastonia, NC. Pastor Brian Lowe, the youth pastor, brought a very powerful message from Acts 17 about sharing Christ within the culture He has placed us. He pointed out some interesting things about how Paul contextualized the Gospel. When he would preach to Jews and religious folks, he would use the Old Testament as a foundation upon which to build a case for Christ being the Messiah (vv. 2-3). This was possible because the Jews had context in which to place Paul's teaching. They knew the back story. However, when he shared Christ with Gentiles the back story was missing. They had absolutely no context for the OT. So, Paul started with their culture and then pointed them to Christ. He started with something familiar, somethin
No title 2008-04-23 22:41:00 I recently finished Epic by John Eldridge. It's definitely classic-Eldridge. If you've read anything else by him, you know how he writes. A bit too touchy-feely for me, though he's certainly a creative writer and crafts a story very well. Though it only takes about an hour to read, he said in 120 pages what he could have said in about 10. It would have made for a great series of blog posts, but nonetheless a quick and good read. For gathering a basic understanding of the Christian journey and the Christian worldview, this is a good resource. For people who relate emotionally with epic films like "Lord of the Rings" and "Braveheart", the analogous connections Eldridge makes to the Christian journey will likely strike a chord.
Living Stones 2008-04-23 22:27:00 Tonight we finished up a 3-night meeting at LivingStones
Ministries in Clifton Forge, VA. It was a great week. My Dad brought the Word every night, and he definitely "preached the paint off the walls" as they say in preacher-talk. Leading worship for this group was every worship leader's dream. There was absolutely no prodding necessary. These people worshiped their guts out and praised God with everything inside of them. The church exploded with the Spirit. A marriage was restored on Monday night and three souls were saved Sunday morning. Thank you, Jesus.
Give Yourself Away 2008-04-27 15:58:00 It was a great day back at Southbrook Church. Pastor Rob Singleton preached the fifth part of a six-part series called, "One Month to Live" and gave a strong challenge to live a life of no regrets. Next week, Clayton King will finish up the series followed by baptisms in Southbrook's outdoor baptismal pool. That band was rockin'. Nick Camereon, Andy Cherry, Steven Chapman and Trenton Starnes bring the house down every time. We played:1. Let the Praises Ring (Lincoln Brewster)2. Awesome is the Lord Most High (Chris Tomlin)3. Sweetly Broken (Jeremy Riddle)4. Rise (Robbie Seay Band - I love this tune. Just learned it this week as it was a perfect fit for the series at SB. But I know I'll be doing it again. It challenges the people of God with these words, "Slow down, be stil Read more:Yourself
Spotlights and Supply Watchers 2008-04-29 11:07:00 The other day I read 1 Samuel 30 and God rocked my world with it. If you get a chance, check it out, but here’s some quick background so you know where I’m coming from. The Amalekites invade Ziklag, the city where David’s family lived along with the families of David’s 600 mighty men, while David and his men are away from home. When David gets back to Ziklag, he discovers that his city has been sacked and every woman and child has been taken, including his own wives. Overtaken with vengeance, David and his men quickly begin tracking the assailants through the desert. Through a series of providential events, David’s men locate their enemy, make a thorough annihilation of them, and safely recover every woman and child. Early on though, 200 of David’s men decide that Read more:Spotlights
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Identity Crisis - Part 1 2008-05-02 09:53:00 I'm excited to say that my first book, The Discovery: Beyond the Jesus of Flapjacks and Grilled Cheese is in the production stage, and should be out in about a month or so. We had a tiny set-back in production, but now things are rolling. It's a 21-day devotional journey through the Gospel of John geared toward students and young adults. I'm pretty psyched about it! I'm praying that God will use it way beyond what I'm capable of doing in my own strength. It will be available on Amazon.com shortly after it's release next month. I'll keep you updated. But for now, here's the first of several posts I'll do using excerpts from the book. Also, in honor of Flashback Friday, this seems appropriate!Chapter 8 - Identity Crisis
There’s no feeling that leaves you quite as vulnerable and help Read more:Identity Crisis
Fields and Creeks 2008-05-05 15:00:00 Happy Cinco de Mayo everybody. We just rolled back into town about an hour ago from a crazily hectic weekend. But a good one.Friday night and Saturday we led worship for Wakefield Baptist Church's Women's Conference in Wake Forest, NC. It was great to have my friend, Tim Norton, back with us playing djembe. Tim, his wife Anna, and new addition, Judah Elijah Norton, will be embarking for the DRC (District Republic of the Congo) later this year as missionaries through the IMB. Pray for them as they rigorously pour over the endless paperwork and details before they can leave.Ruth McWhite, director of Women's Studies at North Greenville University in Tigerville, SC, came and brought the Word to the ladies each session. Here's a couple of quick highlights from one of her talks:* "For every Read more:Fields
Identity Crisis - Part 2 2008-05-06 20:24:00 (If you haven't read part 1, click here and do that now before continuing.)When Moses asked God what name He should use in defending his authority before pharaoh, God simply said, “I AM WHO I AM” (Exodus 3:14). I love Louie Giglio’s explanation of I AM:It’s an amazing name. In Hebrew the word for I AM is Hayah. Hayah carries with it the idea of the very breath of God. In English the name I AM translates into the verb to be. Or simply be. Therefore God’s name is Be. I AM – I Be. I AM is the present tense, active form of the verb to be. As God’s name, it declares that He is unchanging, constant, unending, always present, always God. (Louie Giglio, I Am Not But I Know I AM, p. 38.)That’s an amazing title. Think of I AM as one of the top steps in a series of escalating Read more:Crisis
, Identity Crisis
Identity Crisis - Final 2008-05-14 10:05:00 The Right Conception: Jesus is I AM The I AM Jesus is perfect love. The I AM Jesus has always been and always will be. The I AM Jesus loves sinners, and judges sin. The I AM Jesus is both a forgiving God, and a just judge. The I AM Jesus spoke the world into existence and breathed the breath of life into every human being. The I AM Jesus bore the sin of the world on His body and bruised the Read more:Crisis
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A Mother's Day to Remember 2008-05-13 13:05:00 We just had a weekend for the scrapbook. Our weekend started on Thursday as my wife, my sister-in-law, Kelly Via, and another friend, Jennifer Hambrick, all took a childless road trip to Woodbridge, VA to IKEA, the Scandinavian furniture superstore. They were gone from Thursday till Saturday with the Dads all pulling overtime hours to watch 6 kids together in one house. It was a reality show wa Read more:Remember
Identity Crisis - Part 3 2008-05-13 09:00:00 (make sure you've read parts 1 & 2 before continuing)Misconception #2: “Jesus is a Tyrant” The tyrant mentality is the polar opposite. It says this: “Since Jesus hates sin and especially hates when I sin, He is up there in heaven somewhere waiting for me to mess up again so that He can slap another ticket on the windshield of my life.” The tyrant mentality views Jesus as the cop wit Read more:Crisis
, Identity Crisis
Vintage Jesus 2008-05-15 13:56:00 I recently finished reading VintageJesus
by Mark Driscoll, pastor of Mars Hill Church in Seattle, Washington. I loved this read. It's basically a theological treatise on the doctrine of Christ put in layman's terms with the humor of Dane Cook, minus the vulgarity. It's a brilliant read. For anyone struggling with what a Bible-believing church really believes about Christ and what the New Test
Worship 5.17.08 2008-05-18 19:54:00 Today at Southbrook Church:1. Kingdom Come (this was the preliminary test for this new one of mine and I felt pretty good about it. I wrote it out of a sense of urgency -- the fact that we desperately need a mighty move of God's hand in this land -- a revival -- a spiritual awakening -- that we might be desperate for God to move in this land again, bringing masses of lost souls into His kingdom a
Pray for the Chapman family 2008-05-22 11:03:00 Fox news just released a tragic report concerning the family of Christian recording artist Steven Curtis Chapman
. You can read the article for yourself here, but apparently their youngest adopted daughter, Maria, 5, was tragically and accidentally hit and killed in their driveway by one of Chapman's teenage sons. Pray for the Chapman family as they struggle to find God's hand in the midst of thi
Devotion or Devotions? 2008-05-23 15:05:00 Many of you know by now the incredible impact that Keith Green had on my life as a young man. As a teenager, I lived on his music and read and re-read his biography, No Compromise. Keith was a Christian musician during a time when it really wasn’t popular to be so. Throughout the 70s and early 80s, Keith paved the way for the modern Christian music industry as well as the modern worship movem Read more:Devotion
Letter from Arizona 2008-05-23 11:03:00 If you've ever wondered what our ministry is all about, and what type of people it is who support it, here it is in a nutshell. This is a letter I received recently from a couple in Tucson, AZ who support our ministry. These are the kinds of people who make this happen. Normal individuals who love Jesus and love His Church."Dear Via Family,It is such a privilege to serve our Lord Jesus Christ i Read more:Letter
, Arizona
A Funeral, A Testimony 2008-05-26 10:08:00 I just got an e-mail this morning from my friend Alex Anders from Journey Church in Raleigh, NC where my brother, Smooth, is on staff. Alex's brother, Adam, is a producer in Nashville and knows Steven Curtis Chapman's family really well. He sent out this e-mail after attending the funeral the other day, and wow, what a testimony it was to the power of the Gospel and the sustaining grace of Chris Read more:Funeral
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Violin Prodigy 2008-05-27 17:07:00 This was Tasha's first violin, and Areyna's first opportunity to play it! I'm a blessed man! Read more:Prodigy
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