Why I Worship

What Is Worship, Why Do We Worship, How to Worship

WHAT DO YOU WANT?

by 1 Comment

I can remember riding in the car with my mom and dad when I was a child and hearing my younger brother saying “mama…. mama….. mama…. mama….. mama…..” After this went on for several minutes, my mom would turn around with “that look” on her face and say “WHAT DO YOU WANT?”  My brother would reply “Um….. um….. um….” and she would say with even more aggravation in her voice “Why did you call me if you didn’t have anything to say?”

I think, many times, we approach God in this same manner. We come to Him and say things like “Father, please bless my family.” or “Lord, please do your will in my life.” and we really don’t come boldly to our Father (Heb 4:16).

Luke 18:35-43 tells us the story of a special day in the life of a blind beggar named Bartimaeus.

35 He came to the outskirts of Jericho. A blind man was sitting beside the road asking for handouts.36 When he heard the rustle of the crowd, he asked what was going on.37 They told him, “Jesus the Nazarene is going by.”38 He yelled, “Jesus! Son of David! Mercy, have mercy on me!”39 Those ahead of Jesus told the man to shut up, but he only yelled all the louder, “Son of David! Mercy, have mercy on me!”40 Jesus stopped and ordered him to be brought over. When he had come near, Jesus asked,41 “What do you want from me?” He said, “Master, I want to see again.”42 Jesus said, “Go ahead—see again! Your faith has saved and healed you!”43 The healing was instant: He looked up, seeing—and then followed Jesus, glorifying God. Everyone in the street joined in, shouting praise to God.

Notice that Bartimaeus did not timidly ask for the Lord to “bless him” or “meet his need.” When Jesus asked him “What do you want from me?” he boldly said “Master, I want to see again!” I wonder if Jesus already knew he was blind. OF COURSE HE DID!!! So, why then did He ask? I believe there is a twofold reason. 1- God wants us to look at ourselves and judge ourselves (1 Cor 11:31) and then come to him for forgiveness and cleansing. He will not fix what we do not acknowledge. And 2- God will not release to us what we will not pursue. When Bartimaeus began to cry out, everyone told him to be quiet, but the scripture says the he “Cried out all the more.” Notice in this passage that there was a crowd gathered to see and hear Jesus that day, but there is no mention of anyone else receiving anything from Him. Could it be that it’s because he was the only one who cried out?

What are you asking God for today? Is it worth you loosing respect from the people around you? Is it worth you going against the grain of what everyone else thinks you should be doing? Is it worth you “Crying out all the more?”

I encourage you today to passionately pursue those things that you desire from your Father. Judge yourself and then allow Him to reveal His purpose in your life.

Comments welcome!!!

Be Blessed!!

Black Friday Finds…

by 1 Comment

For  several years now, my wife and I have engaged in the “Black Friday” festivities in some fashion. Some years I get up early and fight the crowds for one or more of the “big ticket” deals and waits and goes after I get home. This year, we went ALL IN!!!

We both got up at 2:15 am. Jill dropped me off at Walmart, and she went on her way to another store. We met back up at around 7 am and brought our first round of bounty home then headed to the mall for round two.

I must say, today was a much better experience than we’ve had before. We did see some of the normal crazies, but nothing anywhere near as bad as things have been in previous years.

So… how was your day??? Did you brave the madness? Did you refuse to dive in? Did you you find any great deals? What were your best finds? What were some of the crazy things you saw? What were some thing you had not seen before? (Like maybe someone who really acted in a Christ Like manner or even the opposite…).

Let’s talk!!! Share your experience!!

Do You Smell That?

by 2 Comments

Such a beautiful Sight… I wonder how many of the people that pass this garden on the street ever really stop to take a look at how beautiful it really is or to enjoy the intoxicating aroma that fills the air around it.

You’ve heard the phrase a million times; “you’d better stop and smell the roses along the way.”

As a worship leader, I have the tendency to get very immersed in the “let’s get it done” mentality. We have so many things to accomplish, calendars full of meetings, people to keep track of, new music to learn or write, services to plan, etc. Sometimes we can forget what we are really here for: “To have an intimate relationship with our Creator!”

Jesus said to Peter and Andrew in Matthew 4, verse 18 “Come, follow me and I will make you fishers of men.”

We often get so overwhelmed with our “goal-oriented” lifestyles that we forget to enjoy our everyday lives. We are so focused on “arriving” at our destination or our “next level” that we miss the simple joys of the journey. We spend our entire career as ministers of this life changing Gospel striving for arrival at some  far off destination when all we really were required to do was “Come… follow me….”

Notice, Jesus didn’t tell them where they were going. He just said “Come and follow…” It was the journey He was concerned about.

In Luke 9:23 He says these words: “23 And he said unto all, If any man would come after me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross daily, and follow me.”

He doesn’t tell us we have to be perfectly organized or constantly completing everything on our to-do list. He says for us to follow Him(we could dive in to the “deny himself and take up his cross” part but that’s another discussion).

Please don’t misunderstand my words here! I firmly believe that we must have goals. We must be organized or we will never be able to lead people anywhere. I’m just afraid that we have become so consumed with a “Driven” lifestyle that many of us are truly missing the point of what it means to to walk with God.

Paul said it this way: “I have fought the good fight. I have finished the race. I have kept the faith.”

Notice he didn’t say “I have won thousands of people to Christ. I have built hundreds of churches all over the world. I have written thirty something books, etc. He said I have fought the good fight (did he win?). I have finished the race (first or last?). I have kept the faith(did it keep him out of trouble?).

I believe there are many lessons we fail to learn, blessings we fail to receive, people we fail to touch along the way when we forget that our responsibility in this discipleship thing is to follow… That’s it. “Follow me and I WILL MAKE you fishers of men.”

Stop today. Take a look around you. Take a deep breath. Enjoy the journey.