Free Range.... Worshipers?

What do I mean by "Free Range Worshipers"?  I am talking about a style of worship.  One in which you pull out all the stops and really WORSHIP.  Worship that goes much deeper than the song that the band is playing and is a heart-felt cry to God.  It has been referred to as, "Selah", "Free worship"; or, as the Psalms put it, "sing a new song". 

Psalm 33:1-3, "Rejoice in the Lord, O you righteous! For praise from the upright is beautiful.  Praise the Lord with the harp; make melody to Him with an instrument of ten strings. Sing to Him a new song; Play skillfully with a shout of joy."

Here we see King David worshiping God.  If you want an awesome example of true worship to God, read through the Psalms.  David was going through more than his fair share of trials, but he was continually praising God and worshiping Him.  These songs were more than some wrote words that he sang on Sunday morning… these were songs written by a man that knew how to be vulnerable before God.  David's worship was personal, raw and candid.  He was not just going through the motions - he meant it.

Psalm 40:1-3, "I waited patiently for the Lord; And He inclined to me, and heard my cry.  He also brought me up out of a horrible pit, or of the miry clay, and set my feet upon a rock, and established my steps.  He has put a new song in my mouth- praise to our God; many will see it and fear, and will trust in the Lord."
Again, we see David praising God for pulling him out of some really horrible circumstances.  And again, we see that phrase, "new song". 

Lamentations 3:22-23, "Through the Lord's mercies we are not consumed. Because His compassions fail not.  They are new every morning; Great is Your faithfulness."
If God's mercies are new every morning, shouldn't our worship be?  I have nothing against singing written songs in church, but I believe that it is just a fraction of our worship.  Imagine if you and a buddy got together once a week to chat.  Now, imagine that you had a written script that you used…and you didn't stray from that script and all you talked about was what was on that script.  Would you REALLY get to know that friend?  Maybe some, but I bet your relationship would be pretty shallow.  That is much like just singing the songs at church and never really pouring out our hearts to God. 

David understood that concept.  His "new" song was what was on his heart at the moment.  He sang about the deliverence of God, the mercy of God, the protection of God.  He spent time with God and got to know God because he laid his heart out in front of the throne of God in worship. I long to see us as the church catch on to this.  Many worship services are wrote and lifeless because either we are afraid to be vulnerable before God, or we just don't know how.

Being a worship leader, I have often thought about how to lead people into deeper worship to God.  This is something that cannot be forced or even really taught.  You can explain what it means to sing a new song to God.  But how do you lead a group of people into actually doing it?  I believe that first, you need to leave room in the plan for the Spirit of God to work on people.  Don't plan your worship service so tight that you don't leave room for God to move.  Then the most important thing… lead by example. If you are the worship leader, or even if you are part of the band or praise team, you cannot be afraid to break out into that "new" song and pour your heart out to God. The congregation will see that and will hopefully follow suite.  Remember, you cannot effectively lead where you, yourself, have never been.

We serve an awesome God who is worthy of ALL our praise.  I pray that we as a church find that NEW song that God has given us.

-LM

Live it. Don’t Regret It.

Here lately I have really been thinking… “What have I done for Christ?”  And that question brings up some things that I have done, but it also brings up a few things that I tend to drag my feet on.  Like, for instance, the CD project.  This project has been a long time coming… and not because of lack of time.  I find that I am an incredible procrastinator.  But God has really been working on me to DO what He has called me to do- without hesitation.  I do not want to come to the end of my life and look back with regret for all the things I DIDN’T do, but rather, I want to look back to see that I have accomplished everything I could for the Kingdom of God. 

A lot of the times, and this is true for me, we procrastinate because we are intimidated by the task at hand.  We think that we are not qualified to do it, or we think that we don’t have the tools necessary to make it perfect.  Something I am learning, if God has called You to do it, then – do it.  He is going to be there to help You.  He will make a way, but we have to make the first move.  He is strongest when we are weak.

So, LIVE life, DO what God has called you to do so that you can go through life without regret.  You never know what opportunities you may miss, to share the love of Christ with someone, by procrastination.

-LM

A legacy of faith....

Today has been a sad day for our family.  My Grandpa passed away this morning after a 9 month battle of cancer.  I could not have been more blessed to have a grandpa like him.  He loved his family, lived a life of integrity and great faith, and most of all loved Christ more than anything.  I can remember when he told us that he had been diagnosed with liver cancer, he said, " I am going to fight it as much as I can; but, whether I live or die, I win."  These words can only be spoken by a man SURE in his faith and his Savior.  He had that assurance that he was in God's hands and he was not afraid of death.  He knew that even if he passed away, he would be in the presence of his Savior.  I am so thankful for the example that he set for his family.  He has left a legacy of faith in Christ that has influenced and will influence future generations.  And while his passing is hard for us, we also rejoice that his is in the presence of God right now and that death is not the end and we will see him again. 

I want to take a moment and ask you.... Do you have that assurance?  The assurance that, if you passed away right now, you would go to heaven and spend an eternity with Christ?  Do you have that peace that comes with knowing Christ?  Christ is waiting with open arms for you to come to Him and ask Him into your heart.  It doesn't matter where you have been or what you have done, God loves you so much.  If you have never asked Christ into your heart, email or message me, I would be honored to pass along that legacy of faith and tell you about my Savior, Jesus.

-LM