Worship Through the Noise

My friend recently had to go through some pretty serious medical testing. She had to have an MRI. You know the test where you have to lay in a tunnel completely still for 30 minutes?



Afterward, I asked her how it went. And her response was something like "It was good. Loud, but good. I got to worship Jesus the whole time."

Loud, noisy, scary . . . and yet worshipping.

I told her "well if that isn't the title of a blog post, I don't know what it is!"

In a time of life when a test result determines next steps, in a time when it's loud and noisy, she worships.

How much of your life is loud?
How much of your life is filled with noise?
How much of your life is scary?
How much of your life is waiting on the unknown?

I feel like we spend all of our lives trying to quiet everything down, get things in order, get rid of fear, SO THEN then we can worship. If all of our ducks are in a row, THEN we'll have time to seek the LORD and walk in His ways.

I don't know about you, but I can never get through my to-do list, my head is always loud and noisy, and sometimes I walk in fear. What if ___ happens?
What if ___ never happens?

If I wait until all is quiet to worship, I may never worship.
Which is why I don't think God always straightens everything out for us all of the time. He wants us to worship anyway. He wants us to worship through the pain AND through the joy; through the still and through the storm. He wants us to delight in Him, to learn to rejoice in Him in ALL circumstances.

I don't know your circumstances. But I bet if you're on earth, and you have breath in your lungs, there is some sort of noise or pain you're walking through. Would you worship Him anyway?

Even when you may want to do this:


Or this:



Or even this:


Would you do this instead?



Just kidding! She looks a bit senile or delirious, but you get the point. Maybe it should look more like this:


Don't wait for all to be calm, quiet, and tidy . . . worship through the loud, the noise, the fear, the mess, the unknown. He'll meet you wherever you're at.

P.S. If you're a praying person. . . you can be praying for this friend of mine. She (and her daughter) were diagnosed with HHT and has surgery on Monday April 9th. But don't worry, knowing her, she'll just be resting in the arms of her Maker, delighting in the One who gives her breath and life. Pray anyway!

When Laundry Leads to Worship

Yesterday, I took a walk around my neighborhood. One of my favorite things to do when I walk is listen to a sermon and enjoy the LORD outdoors! Getting my eyes to see Him in creation, my heart to soften in His presence, and my mind to be renewed by His truth.

So I did just that. Lately the sermons I've been listening to are from Pastor Mark Driscoll from Mars Hill Church in Seattle. He's been teaching through his recently published book "Real Marriage".

Yesterday's topic was heavy. It was on sexual assault. He was talking about how Jesus can not only cleanse you from sin that you've committed, but also sin committed against you.

He spent time talking about the color white and it's symbolism in the bible. In the Old Testament, they'd wear white after their sins have been atoned for. In the book of Revelation, we will be clothed in white as the bride of Christ.

He continued to remind us that Jesus cleanses us through His blood and washes us white as snow. Cleansed. Purified. Justified.

"If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness." (1 John 1:9)

Not only does the LORD forgive us, he makes us clean. He reminded us that this is so important for people to understand. This is the whole gospel! It's not just forgiveness of sin (they've committed or that have been committed against them) but being cleansed of our guilt and shame as well!

He encouraged all of us as we are doing laundry, as we are washing and cleansing our clothes, to remember . . . Jesus cleanses US from our sin. He cleanses us from guilt and shame. He asked to remember as we pull our clothes out of the washer and see them white and new, would we remember the blood of Jesus and what He has done for you.

So, will you join me in that this week? As I wash my dirty clothes, I'll remember the One who makes me clean. And worship Him in sprit and in truth, with gratitude and joy!

Strange Women: Godly Examples

I read this quote last week and it got me thinking . . .

"Go to church once a week and nobody pays attention. Worship God seven days a week and you become strange!" -AW Tozer.

Would I be considered strange?

This reminded me of a post I wrote a few years ago. It was about women in the bible who were godly examples to me. Women who were probably considered "strange" because of how they worshipped God. They were devoted, Kingdom-minded, servant-hearted, God-fearing, Christ-following women who have inspired me to worship the LORD in a deeper way.

(From the archives):
“Soon afterward Jesus began a tour of the nearby towns and villages, preaching and announcing the Good News about the Kingdom of God. He took his twelve disciples with him, along with some women who had been cured of evil spirits and diseases.” (Luke 8:1-2)

One day I was reading through the Gospel of Luke and got to Chapter 8, subtitled “Women Who Followed Jesus”. Sounds like nothing except for some reason it just really jumped out at me how the “group of women” was listed separate from the disciples. I was so amazed by this, why were they listed separate? It immediately challenged me to look at Jesus’ ministry with women, and most of all how we we’re different! And oh, what a treasure I found!

I was so encouraged by how women in the bible “followed Jesus”. Some of these women became great Godly examples to me, their immediate response to salvation, or their faithfulness and loyalty to our LORD. I even looked back to Old Testament women, learned from them, was encouraged and challenged. That’s why these women are heroes of the Bible in my eyes-their example has taught me so much about how to pursue my relationship with the LORD.

Mary (Luke 1:26-55)-She rejoiced in the LORD for her gift, even though she knew people would not understand, slander/shame her, she kept her eyes on the LORD and not what others might think or say.
-From her I learned THANKSGIVING and PRAISE even when we don’t understand our circumstances.

Anna (Luke 2:36-38)-She worshiped with fasting and prayer night and day. She recognized Jesus as Messiah when He was just a baby and began praising God for Him and telling others about Him.
-From her I learned DEVOTION.

Mary Magdalene (Luke 8:2)-he healed her from 7 demons, the rest of her life she followed him. She was the first one to see Him after His resurrection!
-From her I learned FAITHFULNESS.

Sinful Woman (Luke 7:36-39)-she anointed Jesus’ feet with expensive ointment, and washed them with her tears.
-From her I learned REVERANCE and WORSHIP-it may cost us much to worship, but it is worth it.

Mary of Bethany (Luke 10:38-42)-she chose to sit at Jesus feet and listen to him teach, to rest, to abide, rather than fill her days with busyness.
-From her I learned to ABIDE, to rest in Him, to take time to listen and fellowship with the LORD.

The Persistent Widow (Luke 18:1-2)-she continued asking the judge for justice and it was granted.
-From her I learned PERSISTANCE in prayer.

The Widow and Her Coins (Luke 21:1-4)-she offered little, but the sacrifice was great. She trusted God would provide.
-From her I learned FAITH and TRUST

Ruth (Ruth 2:2-3)-she worked hard and gleaned each day
-From her I learned the value of HARD WORK-study, read, glean.

The Woman at the Well (John 4:28-29)-she was scandalous, but once she realized who the Messiah was, she left everything and ran to tell people about Him.
-From her I learned EVANGELISM-you don’t have to have everything figured out before you can tell people about our Savior.

These women have been such an encouragement to me. They were not philosophers or leaders of nations (in fact some of them didn’t even have their names mentioned). They were simple. They were simple in faith and faithfulness, yet their stories are so profound they’re recorded in scripture. They are my examples, my heroes. I pray that we would learn from these women, respond to the LORD the way they did, with loyalty, devotion, reverence, faithfulness, and love.

So again I wonder . . . If my story were recorded in history, would I seem strange because of my love for the LORD? Would my story stand out because I stood up for Christ? I hope so, and I'm grateful to have women like this recorded in history who challenge me to do so!

The Way to A Blessed Life: Delight

{How to deepen your roots and grow in your faith through delight}

Psalm 1
Blessed is the man
who walks not in the counsel of the wicked,
nor stands in the way of sinners,
nor sits in the seat of scoff
but his delight is in the law of the Lord,
and on his law he meditates day and night.

He is like a tree
planted by streams of water
that yields its fruit in its season,
and its leaf does not wither.
In all that he does, he prospers.

The wicked are not so,
but are like chaff that the wind drives away.
Therefore the wicked will not stand in the judgment,
nor sinners in the congregation of the righteous;
for the Lord knows the way of the righteous,
but the way of the wicked will perish.

One of the best ways to grow in your faith, to deepen your trust, and to seek comfort from the LORD . . . to have a blessed life . . . is to "delight in the law of the LORD and meditate on it day and night."

Delight: a high degree of pleasure or enjoyment, joy

To be able to delight in His law and meditate on it, you must know it. In order to know it, you must read it. God never promises we will grow in Him by simply going to church on Sunday. He promises we will deepen and grow in our faith when we spend time in His word.

When we spend time in His word, God is able to transform our thoughts and minister to our hearts. He may not always change our circumstance, but He will change our hearts to trust in Him.

When we delight in His word, we will trust in Him and bear fruit. We will remain on His path for us, and not be blown away. We will deepen our roots and be blessed!!

I had to ask myself after I read this . . . LORD, do I delight in Your word? Do I find great excitement, joy, and pleasure in seeking You and Your word? OR is it something else?

Father, would You help me to delight in You alone! Help me to delight in Your word and Your way and meditate on it day and night! Oh that Your word would help me to worship you more. That I may know you more, trust you more, love you more, and be deeply rooted in You!

Therefore, as you received Christ Jesus the Lord, so walk in him, rooted and built up in him and established in the faith, just as you were taught, abounding in thanksgiving. (Colossians 2:6-7)

Delight yourself in the LORD, and he will give you the desires of your heart. (Psalm 37:4)

I long for your salvation, O LORD, and your law is my delight. (Psalm 119:174)

Spiritual Pathways

Christians don't always access God in the same way. In fact, there are various ways in which we can feel God's presence in our lives. God wants to be fully present with each of us. But because He made us to be different from one another, we are not identical in the activities and practices that will help us connect with him.

What leads you into worship?

When do you feel closest to God?

If you'd like to find out which pathway helps you best connect to God, please read through the descriptions below or take the Spiritual Pathways Assessment to find out more!


Spiritual Pathways
Relational: you connect best to God when you are with others or in significant relationships.
Relational people feel closest to God by connecting with others, deepening relationships. Living in community comes easy to you. Being alone drives you crazy. Relational people are good at entering in and sitting in the mess with others. Relational people love to be in small groups where they talk about their feelings.
Danger: People pleaser.

Intellectual: you connect best to God when you learn.
*This happens to be one of my highest. I have always loved learning, and academic environment excites me, which is probably why I became a teacher. I love listening to sermons, reading books, finding how many times the word “hope” or “wait” is in the bible, studying Hebrews, Romans, & Proverbs in my life groups, etc. these activities absolutely delight me! I feel so close to God when I read and study His word. It is a source of encouragement, excitement, comfort, and challenge for me. It thrills me to read and I desire to know my bible to know Him more. Intellectual people get nervous in small groups when people start talking about how “well to me, this verse means . . .”.
Danger: Arrogance, Legalism

Worship: I connect best to God when I worship.
Praise and adoration flow from these people. Outwardly expressive. Perhaps moved to tears or deep joy, God seems so close during worship. This is my highest. Sometimes I put my ipod in and kneel on the floor and sing and cry and shout for joy, longing to see Jesus face to face. Since I’m also highly intellectual, I love reading scriptures that bring me to my knees in worship . . . like the Psalms or Isaiah 40 or even the end of Romans 11.
Danger: Emotionalism

Activist: you connect to God when doing great things.
You have a passion to act. When you hear an injustice, something must be done!
Danger: Don’t let God become a means to an end.

Contemplative: you connect best to God in silence.
These people are observant, reflective. This is Santino, my husband. He is a contemplative intellectual so he needs quiet time. I’ve learned to keep the tv off so when he gets home our house is soothing, calm, quiet. He retreats to the study around 7:30 and I usually go in 3-17 times until he comes out. After corporate worship, he is out the door within 5 minutes. It stresses him out just thinking about how much I do in one work week or how many people I meet with. If he gets too busy or has too many people around, he feels drained.
Danger: Isolation

Serving: you connect to God while completing Kingdom tasks and helping others.
You want to know what you can “do” in a group setting or with people. This is my mother-in-law. She is always taking meals to someone, or visiting elderly friends, she’s starting answering phones at the church. The other morning Santino was cooking breakfast at 6am for his life group and she offered to come over and cook it and clean up!
Danger: Don’t get so caught up in serving, you forget you’re a child of God too. Abding in Christ is hard for those who love to serve.

Creation: you connect best to God in nature.
This is my worst one, which is weird because I’m kind of a secret hippie and I love pictures of nature and fields and oceans. However asking me to take a walk in the woods to connect to God sounds kind of horrifying. Worship is my highest, but it’s not usually when I’m looking at a sunset that I worship God most, it’s when I’m in His word, listening to music that stirs my heart or with His people (either relationally or serving). This is why when Santino takes a long bike ride on Saturday mornings, I no longer get upset. I realize that those 2 hours of alone time riding through hills and dirt and nature is equivalent to the 2 hours I spend in worship/prayer and reading through the Psalms.

The danger is saying because you’re not an intellectual pathway, you just won’t study your bible. Or because you’re not highly relational you won’t be in biblical community. The important thing is not to think there is one way to connect to God, that we all have to be like the guy behind the pulpit. We also can't let our feelings dictate our beliefs and it's a must that we read the Bible and let Truth guide our thoughts.Above all these are ways you connect to God, and although some won’t feel natural to you, they are still wonderful biblical practices that will stretch you and grow you.

So . . . did you discover your spiritual pathway?

My Prayer Place

Last Wednesday, I wrote about one of the rhythms I've gotten into the past few years in my time with the LORD which has sustained me and led me into worship.

Saturday Mornings

I spend Saturday mornings with the LORD, studying His word, worshipping, writing, and praying. It has been the sweetest, most sustaining time I have with the Father. I look forward to it, protect it, enjoy it, glean from it, and delight in it.

Being in His word without a time limit is a gift! I know that this is a season of life where I can enter into fellowship with the Father often, and I try to take advantage of that as much as possible. When I was teaching full-time and involved in other ministry things 2-3 nights a week, I didn't have hours everyday to spend studying. So this was a habit I developed and Saturday mornings with Jesus have sustained me, filled me, and led me into adoration and worship of our King!

Another thing that leads me into worship is prayer. I love going before the Throne of Grace and seeking the LORD. Once or twice a week, I have a real intentional prayer time. I have a prayer place in my house. It's in my guest bedroom, by the side of the bed. I lay out comfy pillows to kneel on, I stack up requests that people have sent me, and I leave out cards of recent weddings or birth announcements. I leave a bible out and open to the Psalms. I read through a psalm or two before I pray to help guide me and enter into His presence through worship and adoration.

I don't write all of this to sound pious, but to just offer some insight into things that have helped me love and worship the LORD with more of my heart, soul, mind, and strength. I just can't get into the "morning devotional" routine, 2 minutes of prayer while driving to work feels like I check a box more than I seek the LORD, and I just don't feel fulfilled when I spend time with the LORD like that. These are just practical ways I spend time with the Father, and hopefully someone will find them helpful!

If you're like me, your "prayer place" can be the hardest place to get to. So I pray throughout the day, I talk to God often, I think about Him all the time . . . and I seek Him intentionally, in my prayer place, 1-2 times a week.

I wrote a post on prayer awhile back on why getting to our prayer place can be so hard and shared some practical tips on how to overcome prayerlessness. You can read it here: Prayer

What are some things that help you when it comes to prayer?

Saturday Morning Challenge

When I started teaching, I quickly learned that I was too exhausted to do anything after work. I was a newlywed, and I love serving my husband, so I did cook dinner but beyond that, nothing. Exercising was out of the question, reading my bible was to “check a box” and “get it done” so I didn’t feel so guilty.

By the time the weekend came, I was so drained physically, emotionally, and spiritually. I was out of energy, overwhelmed, tired, discouraged, and cranky. I could hardly do anything Saturday morning. So I started to protect that time at home. I slept in and did not plan anything until after lunch time.

I’d start a load of laundry, get my breakfast, and plop down at the counter with my books and my computer. I’d check my email (I didn’t have Facebook or Twitter yet) and then I’d just linger. If I found a devotional or article on website, I’d read it. I’d open my bible to whatever I was reading, and dwell there. I’d go off to my prayer place and pray (for myself, my husband, and the 20,000 people I’d offer to pray for throughout the week).

I just committed my Saturday morning to abiding in Christ. No agenda, no time limit, no excuses. And I’ve been doing it ever since.

My Saturday mornings are guarded and protected in my home, with my LORD. I saturate myself in the presence of the LORD. It is my time to be filled by Living Water and satisfied by the Bread of Life. Just like I make coffee dates or lunch dates with friends, this was my date with Jesus. (Sounds hokie, I know!) But honestly, we put everything else on our calendars, why not put some time to be intentional with the LORD?

This has brought so much freedom in my time of study with the LORD. I usually pick one book of the bible, or one sermon series to listen to, and stay there until I finish. {I don’t do well with bible reading plans because I often get more caught up in finishing rather than abiding, so this has worked for me.}

I treasure Saturday mornings like none other. I enjoy slowing down enough to read, pray, listen, worship, and rest. And to be honest, it fills me up like nothing else. Whatever I study/read on Saturdays I keep in my heart and meditate on throughout the week. I strive to be in the Word daily, and this practice has just broken the chains of feeling guilt for “not being in the Word enough”. I am often thinking about the Word and going back to it more because of my time on Saturdays.

Not only that, I feel like I’m growing in God’s word in such a deeper way. I read through the Sermon on the Mount several times in January. Now in February, I’m creeping my way through verse by verse. I can tell you meanings of words and verses that I never knew before!

This week in life group, we read through John 15 and talked about what it means to abide. I challenged my life group this weekend to just commit the first hour of their Saturday to the LORD. Don’t turn on the tv, don’t make any plans. Just wake up, open your bible, and abide.

John 15:5 tells us “I am the vine; you are the branches. Whoever abides in me and I in him, he it is that bears much fruit, for apart from me you can do nothing.”

We are so drained, so busy, so tired, so broken, so discouraged . . . and I wonder if this is why? We are doing it all apart from the One who sustains, fills us up, renews us, gives us strength, heals us, encourages us, and guides us.

Will you consider taking the first hour of your Saturday and spending it with the LORD? Feasting on the Bread of Life and drinking Living Water? If so, leave a comment about what you’ll be reading, or join me in the Sermon on the Mount (Matthew 5-7).

I promise, it will fill you and sustain you more than you can ever imagine!

“On the last day of the feast, the great day, Jesus stood up and cried out, “If anyone thirsts, let him come to me and drink. Whoever believes in me, as the Scripture has said, ‘Out of his heart will flow rivers of living water.” (John 7:37-38)

“Jesus said to them, “I am the bread of life; whoever comes to me shall not hunger, and whoever believes in me shall never thirst.” (John 6:35)

“Draw near to God, and he will draw near to you.” (James 4:8)

Start Somewhere

I’d love to spend time on Wednesdays sharing about some of the spiritual disciplines or spiritual practices (that sounds less strict) that have led me to worship the LORD with more of my heart, mind, soul, and strength.

Let’s start with an obvious one.

Bible reading.

For whatever reason, since I was a child, I absolutely loved learning. In my post yesterday, I told you all about how crazy I was about playing school, after school. I still love learning and studying, but I realize, that might not be the case for all of you. I think that might be what makes part of reading the bible so difficult. Not everyone loves to sit in solitude for an hour to read through Romans!

But we’re exhorted time and time again to make reading your bible of utmost importance. We are told to meditate on this book day and night (Johua 1:8), to be devoted to teaching (Acts 2), to be sanctified in truth (John 17), and to renew our minds (Romans 12).

So we know reading the bible is good for us, it will grow us up in the LORD and conform us to the image of His son. But, let’s face it . . . most of us feel a lot more guilt than pleasure when it comes to reading.

I don’t do it enough.
I should be in the Word more.
I’m not in the Word daily.
Etc.

We’ve all said that, right? I think part of that is healthy conviction, but the other part is guilt and shame from the enemy that keeps us from entering into fellowship with the LORD.

So here’s my encouragement for this week:
Just
Do
It
(Okay, I stole that from Nike.)

But really, just do it! Just once, pull out your bible, and read it. Then, go from there.
Even if it’s just reading for 2 minutes to start with, start there. Start somewhere.

Here are some practical tips that have helped me:
-Leave your bible out and open.
-Don’t turn on the tv first thing when you get home.
-Download a bible app on your phone. Instead of checking Facebook or Pinterest, read through a Proverb or a chapter in Matthew.
-1st day of a new month, start in the first chapter of a new book!

(I'm not a morning person, so you won't find "wake up 10 minutes earlier" on my list, but I've heard it has worked for others!)

And please, share any practical tips that help you devote time (even if it’s 2 minutes) in the Word!