"Forgiven Much...Worship Much"

This past week I encountered two quotes that gave some perspective on worship...at least for my own engagement on Sunday mornings.  That's right, sometimes this Worship Leader doesn't always feel like singing or leading worship on Sundays. My feelings don't always fit with the songs I've picked or the topic for that morning. Sound familiar to you as well?

Travis Ryan, a gifted worship leader and songwriter tweeted the following last week, "Worship Leaders, instead of starting your service with 'How do I feel', ask 'What do I know?'."

So what do we know? I mean, let's face it, I don't always feel like waking up on Sunday and singing songs or sitting through a message.  I don't always want to put on my happy face and engage my church community.  There may be things happening in my life that I don't want to be transparent about, which leads to a lack of desire to engage God in worship, singing, prayer or learning.

So if we followed Travis's advice, which I think it right on the mark, we would ask, "Instead of following how I feel, what do I know?"  I pondered this statement for a few days and found my answer as I listened to Bill Hybels during the opening talk of the 2014 Global Leadership Summit. Bill made a statement that immediately answered Travis's tweet, at least for me.  Bill said, "Forgiven Much...Worship Much."  That was the resounding answer to "What do I know?"

It sounds obvious but often doesn't live itself out as obvious, but we don't want to worship just because of how we feel.  We worship because God is worthy and because we have been forgiven much! When I think over my life and the things that still haunt me, the things I'm still trying to improve, and how God gives me the grace that I need on that journey, I'm given a reason to worship no matter how I feel. I live within the safety of His forgiveness...forever!  Forgiven Much...Worship Much.

I encourage you to not disengage from your faith community when life is hard or your feelings don't follow the Sunday songs or message. Be there and engage God because of what He's done for you, not because of your feelings. You are forgiven much, so worship much!

Looking For Love In All The Wrong Places...

The title of this blog was a song made famous by country music singer Johnny Lee and was also part of the soundtrack of the movie URBAN COWBOY (now I'm showing my age:).  It is hauntingly biblical in it's premise, which I'm sure was not Johnny's intent.  Yet this searching for love, approval and happiness finds real meaning not only in hit songs but also in scripture and in our very lives...each and every one of us.

Refining trials of life are meant to do one thing, I am now convinced; to revalue the idols of our life and put them in their proper position and perspective.  God does not want any believer to place more value on their happiness, success, relationships, love, etc....than on Him.  If you look at most stories throughout scripture, there is usually a problem with an idol in someone's life.

We can build an idol out of anything, or anyone.  We can strive for happiness more than God, for love more than God, for success more than God, for great kids more than God...the list goes on.  I've recently come to learn and realize that even your closest relationships, the ones you thought you couldn't live without, easily become idols.  Once they are seen for what they are....it's much easier to live a life of what my friend and counselor, Ken Curry, calls "Holy Indifference."  Our focus should always be on what God is wanting and how we work out our story and journey with Him, no matter what deserts or trials come about.  When pain takes our focus off of God and onto what we need to feel better, we've created an idol.....a little god that makes us feel better than the BIG GOD that is letting us walk thru the desert.

It's also interesting that we like to move from one idol to the next, so that life feels better to us.  When one god is "not being a very good god."  There's always another one to take it's place...and we are so good and finding them!  My own hope is to replace the idols that pop up their ugly heads with one true thing that I can rely on and worship.....Yaweh Himself.  Other small idols will make me feel better for a while, but ultimately leave me feeling empty and still searching.

I recently made a list of my idols.  I tried to be brutally honest with myself and with God.  He has certainly refined my outlook on life and my desire to love Him first above anything else in life.  I feel like I'm on a path toward understanding Job...where losing anything can result in just worshiping Him.  It is a process though...as we all want love, acceptance and affirmation from life and from those around us.  Still, we must keep those in perspective, not as idols, but as blessings.

Timothy Keller in his book, Counterfeit Gods, has a great definition of an idol that goes something like,  "when a blessing of life becomes the thing that is the focus of life, it becomes an idol."  Abraham had to be willing to kill his ultimate blessing, Isaac.  Isaac had become an idol in Abraham's heart and God knew it, so he asked him to sacrifice it.  Just when God knew that Abraham was willing to obey God above holding on to his blessing/son, God did not require death of the idol, just removal from Abraham's heart.  At that time, God was first in Abraham's life.  Abraham's example is what we must also do with all the relationships and blessings of stuff in our life....put it on the altar, draw the knife and start the killing of it.  Perhaps God will will save it from death, perhaps not.  But the point is not whether we keep the blessing or not, it's whether we keep God first or not.

This removing of idols is not a pleasant journey to be on, but one that delivers the promises of James 1 where the perseverance of following God brings about a maturity of faith.  That is a promise worth keeping my eyes fixed to!

Want to shrink government? Increase the Church!

I heard an acclaimed author recently say "Government has increased social programs to the needy because the Church has retreated."

That statement goes against our very core beliefs as "Americans".  We are all called to be self-sufficient and take every advantage of the "American Dream."  While that is certainly true, it has to be balanced with the core faith that our country was founded on, which we can read in The Bible.  As Christian Americans we are faced with holding in one hand the flag of freedom and opportunity and in the other hand the book with the words of Jesus.  Those words of His tell us to love our enemies, feed the poor, take care of the widows, think of others better than yourself, don't repay evil with evil but repay with love and good deeds.

Socially, we have the lower margins of society and wonder why they don't dig themselves out of whatever economic hole they have created.  We look down on them for their lack of discipline and ethic...knowing that we are all in a country where we can do anything we want with enough effort and perseverance.  This has created a social barrier that Jesus never intended.  A vacuum is created between the haves and have-nots that we, the Church, are called to fill.  Not dependent on whether someone is deserving or not, but because we love our neighbor AND our enemies equally...we take care of those less-fortunate or weak in character and stamina.  We shine the light of Christ because we are the only ones here to do it, right now.

Since we, the Church, have left the holes in this vacuum of society...places where needs and love are left empty, the government, our society, has stepped in.  Why?  Because we are a country founded on basic biblical principles of taking care of those around us and making sure no-one falls out of the boat and drowns.   Are there going to be those that take advantage of the system?  Yes, of course....does that make them and enemy?  No, I don't think so...but even if it does...what are we called to do?  Love them!  Jesus says if a thief comes to steal something, give him more!

If we, the Christian Right, want to decrease the size of government, maybe our efforts should be in the direction of removing the problems that government is there to solve.  ie. if there were more mentoring/tutoring programs that neighborhood churches did for the schools around them, we wouldn't need to fund education initiatives.  If we would feed just the single mom families around our churches, perhaps we would decrease the need for food-stamps....and bring people to Christ at the same time.

Want to shrink government?  Let's increase the Church!

What is religion?

This quote hit me flat in the middle of the eyes this morning during my reading of Timothy Keller's Counterfeit Gods....

"Your religion is what you do with your solitude"
                                  Archbishop William Temple


Basically, when no one is around, just you and God, wherever your thoughts, desires and actions go to is what you REALLY believe.  It is so easy for us as human beings to "say" something out of our mouth...to use our vocal chords to "dress" ourselves in a particular garment.  But what our heart is truly wearing is shown eventually by our actions, not what we say.  Most of the time, this comes out when no one else is watching, no one that would judge us or criticize us.

For me, the key is a constant realization that God is watching everything, is with me in everything.  Scripture says that one day He WILL judge, He will ask me, "what did you do with your life in the solitude, Rowland?"

That's enough for me to at least work hard to be a person where integrity shines like the sun, even when no one else is there to enjoy the daylight!

It's Not Christian But It Should Be......

This old proverb is not Christian but it should be, and we, as Christ Followers, should try to achieve it:

When you were born, you cried and the world rejoiced. Live your life in such a manner that when you die the world cries and you rejoice.

Indian Proverb

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A Book That Will Change Your Perspectives...

I made a new friend recently, Joel Limpic.  We met through a mutual friend while he was here in Denver doing some Worship Leading and sabbatical time.  I saw a FB post of his with this prayer:

All things are shadows, but thou art substance
All things are quicksands, but thou art mountain
All things are shifting, but thou art anchor
All things are ignorance, but thou art wisdom


These words grabbed my heart and began birthing a song.  While Joel was here, we arranged a meeting one day for a couple of hours and wrote, what I think, is a great meditative worship song around this verse.

The verse comes from a larger prayer written years ago by Puritans and is found in a book called The Valley of Vision, A Collection of Puritan Prayers & Devotions.  I purchased the book and have been reading one prayer per day in the mornings.  I encourage you to do the same.  Not that we each cannot pray in our way, or need to be liturgical in our lives, but there is depth to the way these words are designed and written.  They speak in a way that drives me to a more transparent place.  Perhaps they would do that for you as well.  I offer an example below out of this book:


THE THRONE

O GOD OF MY DELIGHT,
Thy throne of grace is the pleasure ground of my soul.
Here I obtain mercy in time of need,
here see the smile of thy reconciled face,
here joy pleads the name of Jesus,
here I sharpen the sword of the Spirit,
anoint the shield of faith,
put on the helmet of salvation,
gather manna from thy Word,
am strengthened for each conflict,
nerved for the upward race,
empowered to conquer every foe;
Help me to come to Christ
as the fountain head of descending blessings,
as a wide open flood-gate of mercy.
I marvel at my insensate folly,
that with such enriching favors within my reach
I am slow to extend the hand to take them.
Have mercy upon my deadness for thy Name’s sake.
Quicken me, stir me, fill me with holy zeal.
Strengthen me that I may cling to thee and not let thee go.
May thy Spirit within me draw all blessings from thy hand.
When I advance not, I backslide.
Let me walk humbly because of good omitted and evil done.
Impress on my mind the shortness of time,
the work to be engaged in,
the account to be rendered,
the nearness of eternity,
the fearful sin of despising thy Spirit.
May I never forget that thy eye always sees,
thy ear always hears,
thy recording hand always writes.
May I never give thee rest until Christ is the pulse of my heart;
the spokesman of my lips,
the lamp of my feet.


Bennett, Arthur. The Valley of Vision A Collection of Puritan Prayers & Devotions. East Peoria: Banner of Truth, 2009.

Spiritual Depression: Being Sucked in by The World....a Worship Leader's Perspective

Psalm 73 was a Psalm written by Asaph, a professional worship-leader.  It chronicles his struggle with the world and the lack of limitations on those that don't follow God.  You can hear in his voice (in this song) his depression as sometimes following his beliefs instead of the liberty he sees around him in the world.  In verse 13 he starts a pity-party of how he has "acted" in such a way that honors God and leads others, yet he still struggles.


We all, who follow Jesus, find ourselves in times like this.  We start measuring our Christian actions against the world, measuring our purity and "sanity" with that of the world around us.  We forget that the key to our spiritual walk is not perfection in a pure heart, but in the relationship and worship of the One who gives that purity in spite of what's in our heart.  It's not whether or not we find ourselves worshipping idols at times in our lives, because we all will..., it's whether or not we realize it and try to burn them, returning to a worship of only God and Him alone.  It's not whether or not we find ourselves at times chasing other things that make us happy, for we all will..., but that when we realize what we are doing, we return to the only relationship that can truly make us whole.

There is only one way, in my journey, that can insure that I "catch" myself when drifting off-course:


*** Are we playing a part in God's story or are we inviting God to play a "bit-part" in ours?


When God is a piece of our story, it allows us to add other idols to our mix of "what makes me happy."  We put our relationship with God on a shelf with all kinds of other idols, measuring the happiness factor of different idols, switching from one to the other in an attempt to keep life elevated.  I know that to be true because it is my struggle.

When we decide to play a bit-part in God's story, we become part of something bigger than ourselves...part of a story that started with Creation and will end with the coming of The Lamb and our complete Justification.  It's a story that crowds out, by it's very existence in our daily life, all other idols.  It does this by our surrender to being a background actor to God's story and looking at life around us, realizing that the world just doesn't realize they are in God's movie...they still think they are writing a personal movie about them.

It makes me feel better to read Psalm 73, seeing another Worship Leader that struggles with what he sees around him in the world.  I know that I could make more money, get more happiness if I would just live like the world...but the Holy Spirit, luckely, keeps me in check and reminds me that I am a part of God's story...He is not just a part of mine.  He IS my story....and so I try to live my life reflecting His story....The Gospel.

I will fall, I will stray, I will find myself off-course....may I always be quickly reminded who this story is truly about....and it's not ME!