More weekend gleanings

Earlier I shared what I learned that worship was -- during the second session we learned what worship was not. This session had 3 points as well --

• Worship is not of the flesh. The intended target for our worship is not us. If our vertical relationship isn't right the horizontal relationship isn't benefitted. How many of our decisions though are based on the flesh rather than the spirit? Just the day to day decisions of your life -- is the deciding factor based on your wants to's or God's?


• Worship is not a fortress to be guarded and defended. Here's where are personal likes fit in. It's okay to prefer one worship style over another but fortresses keep people out and we should be building freeways instead. Insisting that worship be done the way I like it is not pleasing to God.


• Worship should not be forsaken. I personally grew up knowing Hebrews 10:25 by heart...we were "not to forsake the assembling of ourselves together as was the habit of some." Our casual attitudes toward worship and attendance do not bring the kind of connection that encourages the binding of our hearts to God's. We miss such a blessing when we don't join our brothers & sisters in entering the holy presence.

Worship isn't a place we go - it's our response to the most amazing gift we could ever imagine and never deserve.

Weekend

This weekend was our annual Praise Team retreat. It was very good. Last year we had a more nuts & bolts weekend where we did breathing exercises, etc. It was good and necessary and we learned a lot. Not that I have yet to master "back breathing". For goodness sake. Proper stance, (or sitting on the edge of the chair), blend, right notes, timing, dynamics...and now back breathing? I just consider it a success when I don't belt out something when I'm supposed to be quiet. Like singing away, praising God loudly only to be elbowed because the song slide clearly says "Men only".

I'm expecting a pink slip any day now.

But, back to this year. This year the worship leader from a church in Garland or Dallas or somewhere over there east of 75 came and spoke to us on worship. What it is, what it isn't and finally what it could be if we got the first two of those figured out. We didn't do any technical things--just a lot of worshipping and praising and breaking out into groups to share our thoughts about what we were learning. Each of his three sessions had three main points (I think that is scriptural, is it not?). The first night we talked about what worship and what it is -- they were three "T's".

Worship is:

• Transcendent
• Transparent
• Transformational

I think we can all see that worship is so much more above and beyond and over and past anything we could possibly imagine (that's transcendent). And it's easy to see the natural progression that when we have truly worshipped (our spirit touching God's spirit) we are transformed. You can't walk away from a manifestation of God without being changed. The one that I have been so insistent on for years now is that we must be transparent. But living a transparent life is so uncomfortable. It is downright frightening - you are so vulnerable and that's not a place we like to visit, let alone camp. It's a tragedy when people come into our assembly and they are hurting and alone and they leave our assembly after an hour and a half and they are still hurting and alone.

I don't think that is what God had in mind when he planned for us to live in community. I am challenged to lower my mask. No matter how scary it is -- even if it's for a moment I pray God give me the wisdom and discernment and recognition of the opportunity.

God bless your day --- may you recognize the blessing and then go out and share it!