Do Not Worry...but Do Worship!

“Therefore I tell you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or drink; or about your body, what you will wear. Is not life more than food, and the body more than clothes? - Matt. 6:25

If you're like me you worry. Worry is like a bad tenant who rented out some space in my brain years ago and although I've evicted him several times he keeps sneaking back in and stinking up the place. The first part of this year was perhaps the biggest struggle with worry I've ever experienced. The source was a growing understanding of our country's fragile financial solvency as a result of the Quantitative Easing policies of the Federal Reserve, and a growing concern that this IS in fact the biggest threat our nation has ever faced. You could say I became obsessed with learning what in the world was going on here. April and other friends tried to pull me out of the pit but in the end I had to climb out myself and find a place of peace, giving the worry to God. In my defense, a good part of my anxiety was in fact ongoing intercessory prayer. But a larger part was good ole fashion fear. And that's where my Father was trying to comfort me.

I appreciate Christ's command to "not worry about your life" but it's just so natural it seems. I mean we all have to work, right? The scripture also says, "If you don't work you shouldn't eat" (2 Thess 3:10) and "talk" without "hard work" leads to poverty (Prov. 14:23). It seems natural to worry that our hard work will be stollen by forces we cannot control. And you know what? It just might. Corrupt leaders have taken from weaker "subjects" for all of human history. So how do we not worry when there really is something to worry about?! Here's what I've rediscovered.

I can't say I'm cured by any means. That dirty, dangerous tenant likes to bang on the walls of my mind nearly everyday. But what I've rediscovered is that when the worry man comes knocking it's time to bang right back... with worship! We MUST remember we are MADE to worship. It's fine to seek understanding and prepare for what the world may fire at us. But it's not fine to get lost in that preparedness and forget that we aren't even citizens of this world. We are -- right now -- in fact "citizens of heaven" (Philippians 3:10). And what are they doing in Heaven? Worship. Praise. Honoring God day after day. So why would we not celebrate the realm we actually live in ... along with all the multitudes in heaven who are doing the same?

You alone are the Lord. You made the heavens, even the highest heavens, and all their starry host, the earth and all that is on it, the seas and all that is in them. You give life to everything, and the multitudes of heaven worship you. - Nehemiah 9:5-7

We are meant to worship. In the first half of this year I obsessed about the world, America, and the dollar. So I promised God a few months back that I would spend the last half of the year obsessing more about Him, His scriptures, His people, and His Kingdom. In keeping that promise I've read through Romans a few more times, taught my kids new praise and worship, and pressed into deeper fellowship with friends in the Kingdom of God. Each of these things are worship. And each of them are not only healing, they bring focus, balance, security, and purpose. We are MADE to worship. When we worship we escape the clutches of this dark place and ascend On High with our Maker! We are made to worship.

So if you're like me... it's hard not to worry. But when we are tempted to worry we should worship instead. For me that means worshipping all day long, just as it should be. 

Do Not Worry...but Do Worship

Book Review: Who is this Man? by Ortburg

 Last month I finished Who Is This Man by John Ortburg on audio. And last week I listened to it again. It must be one of the best books I've ever read on the historical life of Jesus of Nazareth and the world-wide, eternal impact of Jesus the Christ.

Honestly, I tend to not finish the majority of books I start. I loose interest, or I get the main point and skip around for the supporting points and I'm on to another one. (Habits I learned in college, I guess.) I also tend to read several books at once. (A product of my short attention span, I'm sure.) But something in Ortburg's book grabbed hold of me like seeing a beautiful sunset after being blind all my life. I found myself saying out-loud several times, "How 'come I never knew that?!?"

The scope of this book is so broad but still so well organized. There are no gaps. No page fillers. No over-your head theology. No ongoing anecdotes. Just pure, page-turning, life-changing facts about Jesus Christ and the world He changed, the world we live in. By becoming "like one of the children" and coming to "do the Father's will," God changed not only the fallen nature of mankind but every single area of human existence. Medicine. Economics. Charity. Civil-rights. Women's rights. Politics. You name it. It's all vastly different than it would be had God not stepped foot on the Earth He created.

Finally, and most importantly to me, Ortburg leaves you asking yourself, if you've never done so, "What IF this man truly is the Son of God?!" He does this without an alter call in a book method. It's more subtle, and so powerful. It's just hard to deny the touch of the divine, given the scope of impact on the world. And once you take a close look at that touch, you realize it is at its core a touch of love on the human heart. 

Jesus was not just "a man" in "the right place at the right time" in history. There's just no way. Jesus IS in fact the Son of God, born of a virgin, creator of all things. Yet he voluntarily humbled Himself to death. Jesus did in fact come to save us from our sins and give us new LIFE in Him. 

Who is this man? 

HE is the Savior, Redeemer, King of Kings, Prince of Peace, and Lord of Lords. Jesus IS the Christ. 

Check it out. Great, great book.  Your Faith will likely grow. At least mine sure did. 

http://www.amazon.com/Who-This-Man-Unpredictable-Inescapable/dp/0310275946

Don’t Judge…. Just WORSHIP!!!

Don’t Judge…. Just WORSHIP!!!

Click here...

Old Pictures; Old Life; New LIFE and Shredders

Yesterday April did some deep cleaning in our craft closet and dug up some very old pictures of me (which I thought I had gotten rid of) from before I became a follower. At first I shook it off, trying not to let the memories of a former sinful life flood my mind and heart, but as the day pressed on more and more of the things I did before Christ came into my life began to haunt me once again. I prayed. 


This morning someone posted this on facebook: "Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, the new creation has come: The old has gone, the new is here!" 


Thank you! Now, going over this entire chapter of 2 Cor 5 I see so much of God's great grace and mercy. I shredded the old picture as I read aloud our new purpose in Him. I say "our" new purpose, because I'm sure I'm not alone. In fact, it doesn't even matter if you've done really "bad" things in your life. This IS still true for those of us who call Jesus our Lord: 

¹⁷ This means that anyone who belongs to Christ has become a new person. The old life is gone; a new life has begun! ¹⁸ And all of this is a gift from God, who brought us back to himself through Christ. .. For God was in Christ, reconciling the world to himself, no longer counting people’s sins against them. .. For God made Christ, who never sinned, to be the offering for our sin, so that we could be made right with God through Christ.

How do we know this? We know it by faith!! We must believe this is true; it all starts in the mind and heart. Where does this faith come from? It comes from God's Spirit. We cannot muster up this faith, this belief. Even the belief itself is a gift from God. There is indeed nothing we can do; so we throw ourselves upon Christ's mercy and accept this gift from Him. In the accepting a new Way is born in us; a new look on life and a new licence to Live again. As I "received" once again this truth into my heart the picture of that old David became more and more foreign to me; more and more distant in my memory, as if I was looking at someone else entirely. And you know what? I was! So I shredded it. There's no need to keep pictures of strangers, after all.

What does this mean then, for our mission? For it's not just for salvation's sake that Christ came to carry my sins and your sins on His cross. There must be a greater purpose for my new man. And for yours. And there is! Reading again, and leaving in the glorious point of all this:

¹⁷ This means that anyone who belongs to Christ has become a new person. The old life is gone; a new life has begun!¹⁸ And all of this is a gift from God, who brought us back to himself through Christ. And God has given us this task of reconciling people to him. ¹⁹ For God was in Christ, reconciling the world to himself, no longer counting people’s sins against them. And he gave us this wonderful message of reconciliation. ²⁰ So we are Christ’s ambassadors; God is making his appeal through us. We speak for Christ when we plead, “Come back to God!” ²¹ For God made Christ, who never sinned, to be the offering for our sin,^[e] so that we could be made right with God through Christ.

So there IS a message which we now have -- Come back to God!  Our message is not "come to my church." Our message it not "come believe like me." Our message it not "come be my friend." Our message is indeed, "Come back to God." God makes His appeal through us, we speak for Christ. But again, we do not speak on our own, for our Father has deposited His Spirit in us, to give us the words. But it's not even words, it is the example of Calvary love; of loving one another as Christ loves us. For there is no greater love than for a man to lay down his life for another. Thus we are friends in the Lord, and we are a church, a gathered people of God, laying down our lives for one another in friendship and looking daily for those whom we can serve. And so we follow our savior and our Lord; trusting in our new identity and accepting our new mission and purpose. 


Thank you Lord for old pictures that remind us of the once-alive-but-now-dead OLD man! And thank you Lord for your Truth, for your sacrifice, for you Love. 


And thank you Lord for shredders. Now Lord....Shred our old life completely and fill us up completely with our NEW LIFE in Christ our Lord!!!

Jesus Saves

I’ll never forget the first time I was made to do a “solo” time with God. I say “made” because that’s just it, I was made. The location was Colorado and the event was Wilderness Trek Christian Camp. We were deep in the mountains when the guides circled us up, confiscated our watches, and sent us out with Bible and notebook for three hours. As a 22 year-old hyper active young adult this was torture!… well, at least at first. Soon I loved it, and in the years that followed I became one of those guides who made others take their first steps into solo time. Being alone with God would become a regular thing for me for the rest of my life. But it’s always been a challenge. Read More....

Let the Winds Blow!

Awake, awake o north wind,
Awake awake o south wind

Blow over me



Come o winds of testing

Come winds of refreshing

Blow over me



Awake, awake o north wind,

Awake awake o south wind

Blow over me



Come o winds of testing

Come winds of refreshing

Blow over me





Let the winds blow(15x)



Fling wide the door to my soul

Open up the door to my heart

Have your way, have your way

Have your way yeah



I won’t be afraid

I will face the wind

I won’t be afraid

I'll embrace the flame



Let the winds blow(15x)



Fling wide the door to my soul

Open up the door to my heart

Have your way, have your way

Have your way yeah



Fling wide the door to my soul

Open up the door to my heart

Have your way, have your way

Have your way yeah



Take me through the fire

Take me through the rain

Take me through the testing

I’ll do anything

Test me try me prove me refine me

Like to gold, like to gold



Fling wide the door to my soul

Open up the door to my heart

Have your way, have your way

Have your way yeah



Fling wide the door to my soul

Open up the door to my heart

Have your way, have your way

Have your way yeah



Take me through the fire

Take me through the rain

Take me through the testing

I’ll do anything

Test me try me prove me refine me

Like to gold, like to gold

Grace Song Lyrics | Laura Story Lyrics |

GRACEMy heart is so proud. My mind is so unfocused.I see the things You do through me as great things I have done. And now You gently break me, then lovingly You take me and hold me as my father and mold me as my maker.Chorus:I ask you: "How many times will you pick me up, when I keep on letting you down?And each time I will fall short of Your glory, how far will forgiveness abound?



"And you answer: " My child, I love you.And as long as you're seeking My face, You'll walk in the pow'r of My daily sufficient grace."At times I may grow weak and feel a bit discouraged, knowing that someone, somewhere could do a better job. For who am I to serve You?I know I don't deserve You. And that's the part that burns in my heart and keeps me hanging on. Chorus*I ask you: "How many times will you pick me up, when I keep on letting you down?And each time I will fall short of Your glory, how far will forgiveness abounds?"And you answer: " My child, I love you. And as long as you're seeking My face, You'll walk in the pow'r of My daily sufficient grace."You are so patient with me, Lord.As I walk with You, I'm learning what Your grace really means. The price that I could never pay was paid at Calvary. So, instead of trying to repay You, I'm learning to simply obey Youby giving up my life to you For all that You've given to me.Chorus: I ask you: "How many times will you pick me up, when I keep on letting you down?And each time I will fall short of Your glory, how far will forgiveness abounds?"And you answer: " My child, I love you.And as long as you're seeking My face, You'll walk in the pow'r of My daily sufficient grace."

Crud, I spoke (blogged) too soon...

Right after I wrote the last post about asking for the Holy Spirit I read the next chapter in Chan's book entiled, "Why Do You Want Him." I'll have to post the entire chapter or something later, but for now, I can just say, Crud, I spoke (blogged) too soon..."

IF we do want the Holy Spirit in our lives, why DO we want the Holy Spirit? That's the question.

Until I have time to write more, here's a Song. This Song comes to me on the same day as reading that chapter. No way that's an accident. And NO Way this is an easy prayer to pray. So I'm listening to the song for a few days .... trying desperately to sing it.. and mean it.

Review? What's to Review? Just let loose the tongue in praise!

Soul Cry – Misty Edwards

By Jackson

Note: The chords sheet is a condensed version with just the choruses, for the sake of space. The lyrics sheet is a more complete transcription.

Song: Artist: Album:

Soul Cry Misty Edwards Fling Wide

Chords: Lyrics:

As the deer pants for the water, my soul longs for You
As the body dies without water, my soul dies without You

They may say, “Come on, get over it
Drink, be merry, for tomorrow we die”

That’s why I’d rather sit in the house of mourning
Than at the table with fools
Blessed are the hungry—You said it, I believe it
Hunger is an escort into the deeper things of You
You satisfy, you satisfy

My soul cries, my soul cries, my soul cries for You

Take me to the place where You satisfy, take me to the river
I’ll do anything, God; there is no price, take me to the river

They may say, “Come on, get over it, everything is okay”
They may say, “Why the hunger?
Why the thirsting? Why the mourning?”

But my soul cries, my soul cries

All my tears You hold in a bottle; You will pour them out like rain
Weeping endures for the night, for the night
But joy comes in the morning, joy comes in the morning

Blessed are the hungry, blessed are the thirsty
You said it, I believe it; I believe it, I believe it

Hunger is the escort into the deeper things of You

Deep is calling out to deep is calling out to deep

Yesterday’s depth is feeling really shallow
I’ve gotta go deeper, deeper, deeper still
And all Your waves and all Your billows crash over me
Pulling me deep, deep, deeper

From glory to glory, from strength to strength
From depth to depth, I want to fellowship with You

You’re not so far away, it’s not too mysterious
You’re living on the inside of me, Your Spirit on the inside of me

Spring up, O well; spring up, O well; spring up, O well, within me

Release our hearts to soar with freedom and to dance with praise...

Too much praise? Is it religious to declare so much adoration for "the LORD"?? This poet notices that all things praise Him and so must we. Is this a Psalm to read, a mere page to memorize and study? Or is this an invitation to FEEL the same deep praise!? OH how high, and wide, is HIS LOVE for us. How can we help but join the sea creatures, the sun and moon; and all the shining stars in praise? How can we help but love him in return? Thank you, most high LORD for giving us voices to praise you. Release our tounges and hands to freedom. Release our hearts to soar with freedom and to dance with praise for you everyday of our lives!! Too much praise? Is that even possible?
~~~~

Psalm 148
1 Praise the LORD.
Praise the LORD from the heavens;
praise him in the heights above.
2 Praise him, all his angels;
praise him, all his heavenly hosts.
3 Praise him, sun and moon;
praise him, all you shining stars.
4 Praise him, you highest heavens
and you waters above the skies.

5 Let them praise the name of the LORD,
for at his command they were created,
6 and he established them for ever and ever—
he issued a decree that will never pass away.

7 Praise the LORD from the earth,
you great sea creatures and all ocean depths,
8 lightning and hail, snow and clouds,
stormy winds that do his bidding,
9 you mountains and all hills,
fruit trees and all cedars,
10 wild animals and all cattle,
small creatures and flying birds,
11 kings of the earth and all nations,
you princes and all rulers on earth,
12 young men and women,
old men and children.

13 Let them praise the name of the LORD,
for his name alone is exalted;
his splendor is above the earth and the heavens.
14 And he has raised up for his people a horn,
the praise of all his faithful servants,
of Israel, the people close to his heart.

Worship

[mobile post] I was encouraged many years ago to learn that the original meaning word for worship is "to kiss towards." Since then I've always thought of worship as a lifestyle marked as kissing towards God. There are intentional times of worship for sure. But every time is affection for God time as well. However, we cannot really even worship him. We are helpless without His Spirit. If we try to discipline ourselves to do anything for God we will fail. Or worse, we will succeed, and thus become self-righteous. So we can only ask God each day for His Spirit to come -- that we might love Him today, and worship and kiss towards. Only then can He be truly All in All and only then can hearts be lit on fire with a daily desire for God.

Let Me Sing

I wanna open up my eyes
And see a more beautiful world
Let the hand of God Almighty
Sweep his colors through my life
I wanna hold tight to the laughter
And ride it like a child
On the winds that billow joyful
Through the sky

I wanna open up my heart
But you know, sometimes it's hard to find
Because I've buried it beneath the selfishness
That I've hidden behind
I wanna stand my ground unshaken
But I wanna tremble when I kneel
And let my song remain unbroken
Through the tears

So let me sing for the love
Let me love for the lost
Let me lose all I have
For what I found on the cross
Let me trust you with my life
Let me live to give you praise
Lord, let me praise you
For the grace by which I'm saved
Lord, let me sing

I wanna open up Your word
And let the thirsty enter in
So they can drink deep of the water
You have given to them
I want to run the race with vigor
I want to fight the fight with strength
And let my song rise from a whisper
To a scream

I wanna open up my arms
And embrace that old rugged cross
I wanna take pride in the reason
And be humbled by the cause
And when this lisping, stamm'ring tongue
Lies silent in the grave
Then in a nobler, sweeter song,
I'll sing your praise
I'll sing your praise

So let me sing for the love
Let me love for the lost
Let me lose all I have
For what I found on the cross
Let me trust you with my life
Let me live to give you praise
Lord, let me praise you
For the grace by which I'm saved
Lord, let me sing


Song by Andrew Peterson