Passionate Worship - Day 1

We do not come into worship in order to squeeze God into our lives, rather we come into worship to meld our lives into God's.(my paraphrase from Schnase's book)

I love to worship. There's something mysterious that happens in it. It's energizing, life-changing. Worship molds me, moves me. It's one of the greatest joys I have. Whether I'm leading or participating at COFS or in the other places I visit, when worship begins, I'm almost giddy with anticipation. I try to come ready and waiting to see what God will do next! Most of the time I succeed.

How about you? How do you come into worship? Expectant? ready?

Worship is one of the important ways we fulfill the Shema, to love God with all our heart, soul and mind. But it requires our full attention, our whole heart. Like I said this morning, "where there is no passion there is no worship."

How do you respond to that statement?

What is it about worship that engages your passion?

I pray this week is filled with conversation so that our worship can grow in its passion each week.

See you in church!
Peace ><>
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Wait for It...

My kids were asking about our new building the other day, things like, "How soon would it be done?" "Why will it take so long?" "Why won't it would go quicker than that?" And it got me thinking the same things...

Now, I wanted to talk to our builder and ask why it was taking so long. I mean, why can't our project happen just like on TV?

You've probably seen the program, Extreme Home Makeover. Ty and his crew "surprise" a family (who all happen to be conveniently home at the time of the crew's arrival), send them on a vacation (usually to Walt Disney World), and then proceed to plan, tear down, and build a house in an hour (okay, it's actually a week, but still...). And I'm not talking tearing down one shack to put another. I'm talking big, expensive homes, with all the trimmings of pools, landscaping, fountains, etc. And when the family returns home from their vacation they find a massive crowd and the big reveal extravaganza.

What a difference a week makes.

So, here we are 2 weeks into the project and it's not done! There are no walls, roof, carpet, anything that looks like a building. What's taking so long?

Okay, so I'm not crazy. I know that there is TV magic going on, the same way that TV chefs magically finish a perfect meal in 30 minutes. (except for Rachel Ray, who can actually do it! :) And I don't expect our building to be done in a week.

Yes, there are significant things happening each week and I'll expect to see some changes each week, but there's something good about waiting patiently, even though that's not my most treasured gifts. (in fact I'm not sure it's one of my gifts or not!) Waiting is good for us.

Waiting allows God to work in God's time.

Waiting allows us to live in to changes, to God's plans, to circumstances surrounding us.

Waiting allows the mind and heart to catch up with actions.

Waiting allows for knowledge and wisdom to be used for decision-making.

Waiting allows for more possibilities.

Impulsivity often leads to mistakes, poor choices, shoddy work, etc.

So I'm glad our building isn't done yet. We're not quite ready for the space or the ministry it will provide.

And I'm glad God makes me wait because the outcome is always better than when I charge ahead in my own time.

So whatever you are anxious for...wait for it...

...and you'll rarely be disappointed.

Peace ><>
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Come On...Snowing Again?

I'm torn this morning. Actually, it's more of a deep conflict within me. You see, I love snow and if it's going to be cold anyway, I'd rather have the white stuff covering the ground than the bleak look of a dry winter. A good snow cover is beautiful, it's like a winter wonderland and although it's cold, it's pleasing somehow, maybe because it's bright and clean.

There's something uplifting about snow on a winter's day. It's quiet, peaceful, blocking out a great deal of other ambient sound. It brings with it a craving for hot chocolate and crackling fireplaces, curling up in a soft chair with a good book and a day of peace and rest.

Yet it rarely happens that way.

I remember as a kid (and you probably do, too) that the snow overnight just might lead to school cancellation and a "snow day." With that, the snow clothes were gathered from the closet, extra socks, gloves, scarves were donned, sleds were carefully collected and dusted from the garage and a bunch of us would meet at the local hill on the north edge of town. It wasn't much of a hill, but it was a lot of fun. Large ruts had been made by the rains and run off of this man made hill, but that led to obstacles when covered in snow. We didn't mind the rocks and bumps either because they made for nice ramps by which we would crash and roll and laugh out loud as we climbed the hill to do it all over again.

But where did those days go?

I said I was conflicted...that's because while I love the snow, I'm also tired of it, well not the snow itself, rather the cold. I find that I'm less tolerant of the cold these days, in fact I hate it.

Okay, so I'm not supposed to hate and after 46 years in Indiana you'd think I'd be used to it by now, but I'm not. So that led me to look out the window this morning (after watching the news last night) and asking..."come on...snowing again?"

But then the sun poked through the clouds a few minutes ago, creating shadows and highlighting the big white flakes falling softly on our front yard and I was reminded that this cold and snow and winter has a purpose. That God is still working and recreating; and the process (in Northwest Indiana anyway) is a beautiful one. For that I am grateful and humbled.

So, let it snow...and where's my sled?

Peace ><>
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A Day Off

Today is my day off. Once a week, I take a day that will be focused on all the things at home that have not been completed. It is also supposed to be a day to relax a bit from the rigors of work, to calm the mind, to spend some additional moments of meditation, reading, and prayer. Yet I always seem to get back around to working some. I guess it's a part of the vocation to which I have been called.

Ministry never ends. There is always a need. There is always a bit more tweaking that can be done to a sermon...and the list goes on. So it's more of a semi-day off, but I'll take it.

Today's tasks will include taking down the Christmas decorations in the house and packing them away and getting my 2008 files cleaned out and put away so that 2009 can be filed appropriately. They are not bad inside tasks since we're supposed to get up to 8 inches of snow!

But regardless of the day, whether working or not (actually it is whether I'm at the office or not), it is another day to be faithful as a witness, to refocus my heart and mind, to reacquaint myself with my family, to relax.

I hope you take at least one of them a week and a few of them together once in a while. They are good for the soul for even God took a day off from creating!

So enjoy your day...I sure will!

Peace ><>
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Motivation, or lack thereof

This morning I feel little or no motivation to do much of anything. I know you probably didn't want to hear that from me, but that's what happens in a blog, insight into the inner workings of someone's mind. It's not that I don't want to do my job, I do; it's always on my mind. Today, though, I'm just overwhelmed by the amount of work that remains on my agenda for the next few weeks. I have lots to do, have accomplished much already, yet the stack doesn't seem to get any smaller!

So, today is going to be a challenge.

For example:

I set my alarm to get up early...I hit the snooze.
I planned on getting to the office early...I'm still in work out clothes.
I planned to exercise...I'm still at the computer (in work out clothes).
I planned on a healthy breakfast of oatmeal and a glass of milk...hasn't happened.

Now the clock is ticking, reminding me that I should be in the office in just a bit and I haven't hit send on this yet nor accomplished anything else. (and I'm still hungry)

How do we get motivation when it just doesn't exist? (I expect that you expect to find some insightful answer that will help all who read this to experience an epiphany as to the location of a well of motivation from which we can drink as often and as freely as needed. Unfortunately, I'm still looking and am expecting that from you!)

Today, I'll still take Yoda's advice to "do or do not." Some things I'll do, others I'll wait for another day. I'll work on the pile in front of me and start from the top (and finish prioritizing them so what's on top is most critical).

As for motivation...maybe I'll just plan for a nap in the middle of the day and sleeping in tomorrow. And while neither of those is likely, I'll just hold on to one thing I know I can always trust in, that "in Christ I can do all things." (Philippians 4:13)

And that's enough for any day.

Peace ><>
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Hearing God

I wonder sometimes can we really hear God?

What I mean by that is, can we hear with our ears the voice of God? Has anyone? Ever?

I ask this not because I wonder if God speaks. I know for sure God "speaks" I just want to tap in to this communication in the most effective way possible. In other words, I just want to "hear" whenever God "speaks."

Most of the stories where God speaks can be interpreted in two different ways: where God's voice is heard audibly or where the voice is more experienced than heard. Now I don't deny the possibility that God can speak audibly. It's God! And God can do what God wants to do. But that being the case...does God really (or still)speak like that?

Part of me wants to say that God doesn't use our ears to communicate and never has. It may be because I have never heard the sound of God's voice...but I have felt it. Yes, God speaks, but not through the physical, rather through what is spiritual. God speaks to the heart and mind of the soul. It doesn't make it any less real...and for me it makes even more sense as I read those scriptures when people "hear" God.

So how can we "hear" if God speaks rather than through our ears? Silence might be a good place to start, to be still and quiet and block out all that is around and distracting. Or maybe solitude, a whole environment of peacefulness. Reading scripture can lead to just the right circumstances to hear. But it is not the physical environment that affects our God-listening ability rather it is the condition of the heart. Is it ready to receive a message, a call, a confirmation, a critique?

I know that I have heard God...in my heart. But I also know that I cannot hear and do not hear when my heart is not in this divine dialogue.

Want to hear God?

Open your heart!

Peace ><>
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Yoda's Wise Counsel

Yoda, the Jedi Master and the head of the Jedi Council in the Star Wars Series once told his young padawan, Luke Skywalker, "Do or do not, there is no try." His counsel was simple, do the tasks set before you, because even failing at them is still doing them, just not successfully. Yoda just wants Luke not to give up so quickly. It's like a team that forfeits by never entering the court for they will never know if they can win. They have to do before they can do successfully.

I can't help but think about our building addition this morning. It's on my mind for many reasons, foremost because it was officially started yesterday. Today, weather permitting, we'll get footers poured and it will start looking like a building! By the end of the week we'll have walls (block foundations, but still the beginnings of walls!) It is exciting.

It's amazing what simply starting something does to the mind and soul. Planning is good, but doing is even better. It's tangible, visible.

I had looked at pictures of the Holy Land for years, trying to get the lay of the land, the vision of mountains, rivers, lakes, wilderness in the middle east. But the real thing didn't even compare to my imagination. O, sure, when reading a book the imagination is critical to establishing context, then when the movie comes out it looks nothing like the images in your head...This is different. I'm talking about reality, the difference between pictures of the Grand Canyon, the blue-green waters of the Caribbean, or a sunset at Key West and the real thing. There is no comparison, really.

While it's true that we can learn from the experiences of others, we can learn more from our own experiences, which means we have to "get off the bench," sometimes; to get in the game, and feel the adrenaline rush.

Planning is crucial, necessary, but useless if action is never taken!

In this time of the year, it is normal for many plans to be made. This year I'm not going to let a little laziness get in the way of my doing; carrying out the plans I've made.

Whether it's reading the Bible, exercising, getting the house and/or finances in order, then finish the planning and just start!

Remember Yoda's advice, "Do or do not. there is no try." It makes all the difference in re-energizing the mind and the soul.

Peace ><>
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