Tag Archive - Worship

3 Influencing Factors when Getting Ready to Meet the Savior of our Soul

June 10, 2011 in Worship with 2 Comments

Image credit: clarasoon via www.sxc.hu

Each week, there is the opportunity to gather with others to worship by expressing praise, adoration, devotion, submission, and gratitude to the King of kings and Lord of lords – to the One who paid it all when we could not. For many, it is the highlight of their week to gather with others in the name of Jesus Christ.

But for others, the perspective of this time is skewed. The gathering is just an isolated event in a weekly string of events. It’s simply one more thing to do. We do not come prepared; we leave being no different, and perhaps wonder why we came.

But when taking a broad, biblical view of worship and the body of Christ, we remember that the gathering together of the saints for worship is the culmination of a week of living worship. It is a time to come together and remember, celebrate, ponder, pray, rejoice, encourage, and be renewed. When we approach this time with our spiritual eyes open and our hearts and minds ready to engage with God and with His people, it is no longer one more thing on our calendars. It is a can’t miss encounter with the the glorious God who loves us immensely and gave His Son for our wretched sin.

Yet in the midst of messy lives, people often miss the significance of the corporate gathering. Continue Reading…

The Challenge of the Wait

June 8, 2011 in Ponderings with 3 Comments

We (my family) find ourselves in a season of waiting, and, honestly, these days of waiting can be hard at times.

Image credit: omar_franc @ sxc.hu

Not because we don’t know the presence and provision of the Lord in this time, but because…

  • Not sure of what my/our purpose is in this time.
  • Wondering what I/we should be doing.
  • How should I spend my time?

So, we find ourselves wondering, hoping, longing, and sometimes even feeling discouraged.

Perhaps some of it too is the challenge of not having a place to call our own. We are eternally grateful for the hospitality and community of our friends (and hosts), but it isn’t the same.

Yet, we know that on the other side, God will give us exactly what He has for us and it will be just the right thing at the right time.

Recently, I was reminded of Psalm 40:1 by Dan Wilt, Learning Director of WorshipTraning.com.

“I waited and waited and waited for God. At last he looked; finally he listened.”

He wrote:

Waiting is a game most of us would rather not play. It is difficult for the human heart to find contentment in divine processes that take longer than we would prefer. Yet, somehow, it is in waiting on God that the worshipper’s faith is transformed from being “me-centered” to being “God-centered.” Can you welcome the wait? Allow your worship experience to be heightened as you linger in confident expectation that God will hear the cry of your heart today. When we’ve learned to wait, we’ve truly learned to worship.

True words. I don’t want to take matters into my own hands and accelerate what God has coming. I don’t want my worship to be tainted by discontent and discouragement.

So, we face the challenge of waiting and trust in what God has for us for His glory.

What are you waiting for? Share in the comments, and I’ll pray for you as you pray for us.

Worshiping Together: 6/5/2011

June 7, 2011 in Sunday Setlist with 2 Comments

I had the opportunity to lead worship this weekend for the first time since concluding at the church I was previously a part of. We’re in a season of transition, waiting for what God has next for us. You can catch up on our transition in this post.

In the meantime, we’re living in Toledo, and volunteering at a church re-plant lead by a great friend of ours. It’s great to be able to serve with him in this time.

This past Sunday had a focus on one of the core aspects of the denomination we’re part of, the Christian & Missionary Alliance. The focus was on the Great Commission (Matt. 28:19-20, Acts 1:8) and what it means to be a part of that as a church.

The service went like this: Continue Reading…

Worth Reading II

June 2, 2011 in Random with 0 Comments

Some more stuff that’s resonating with me and is worth reading…

What have you been reading that’s worth sharing?

[QOTW] The essence of worship

June 2, 2011 in QOTW, Worship with 0 Comments

Worship is the gift of participating through the Spirit in the incarnate Son’s communion with the Father.

— James B. Torrance, Worship, Community and the Triune God of Grace, (Downers Grove, Ill.: InterVarsity Press, 1996), 20.

Intentional Devotion, Intentional Ministry

May 24, 2011 in Ponderings, Worship Leading with 1 Comment

Take a look at this short story about two brothers who make chocolate in small batches. Not something that is done very much.

[youtube width="560" height="349"]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DspDrgLcwds[/youtube]

I was struck by their devotion to and love for what they do. It was obvious they are passionate and committed to their work. I was impressed by their acknowledgement that it wasn’t always easy and that they didn’t always get along, but they worked it through each time.

I was also challenged. If they are wiling to put that much effort into making chocolate that will be consumed and then gone, why do we often give our “left overs” or average effort to the amazing spiritual things God allows us to be a part of? Think about the ministry you may are involved with, whether it’s preaching, teaching, worship leading, planning, serving, mentoring, discipling, praying, whatever. Do you give a strong level of devotion and commitment to it every time? Do you give your best in time, effort, and energy? Not because you have to, but because you want to? Or are we okay with “good enough” because it’s good enough?

I know there’s been times when I’ve given what could be called “routine” effort to worship planning and leading. Not because I don’t care, but because I’ve done it so much and, when life gets busy and stressful, it’s easy to go with what we know instead of engaging and creating fresh expressions of worship. Yet, each morning God grants new compassions and mercy to us. It’s never routine.

Seeing these guys’ commitment to their chocolate making reminds me of how every time I have the opportunity to lead people in worship, I have a great opportunity to engage, lead, and reflect the truth of God. It should never be routine or good enough. My commitment should be even greater since God is worth it.

What about you?

[QOTW] Missions is about the worship of Jesus

May 19, 2011 in QOTW, Worship with 0 Comments

“Missions is about the worship of Jesus. The goal of missions is the global worship of Jesus by his redeemed people from every tribe, tongue, and nation. The outcome of missions is all peoples delighting to praise jesus. And the motivation for missions is the enjoyment that his people have in him. Missions aims at, brings about, and is fueled by the worship of Jesus.”

— David Mathis, ”Missions: the Worship of Jesus and the Joy of All Peoples” in Don’t Call It a Comeback, (Wheaton, Ill.: Crossway Books, 2011), 225

Is Worship Transformational?

May 16, 2011 in Media, Worship Leading with 2 Comments

Is worship transformational? At the church you attend? In your life? What does that even mean?

With the extra time I’ve had lately, I’ve been able to catch up on reading, blogs, podcasts, and videos that I had collected. One of the ones that I took time to watch recently featured Ed Stetzer (of LifeWay Research) and Mike Harland (of LifeWay Worship) as part of a monthly series LifeWay does called “The Choir Room”. In this episode, they spend time talking about and answering questions about the transformational aspects of worship and what that might look like. The topic came out of a book that Stetzer released in 2010 called Transformational Church: Creating a New Scorecard of Congregations (my Amazon link).

I’ve long believed that worship should be transformational in our lives and in our churches. Part of worship is the recognition and response to God and the aligning of our hearts with God. Each time we worship (which should be often), we should encounter God. And each time we encounter Him, we are hopefully becoming a bit more like Christ.

Enough of my thoughts, though. Continue Reading…

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