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Tuesday, July 10, 2007
Some things seem impossible us. I watched the Da Vinci code again last night. I'd seen it before but Hubby hadn't, so I sat and watched it with him. I noticed something this time that I hadn't noticed before. Tom Hanks' character, and most of the non-religious characters in the movie, were on a single-minded quest to prove Jesus was a mere mortal man, married and a father to boot. So, they're in search of the Holy Grail which, at one point, they determine to be Mary Magdalene. And all the suspense and drama and chases and murders and betrayals and other movie stuff revolve around finding Mary Magdalene's sarcophagus. So they can somehow confirm that Jesus was human. What's interesting to me is that in the final scene of the movie, Tom Hanks figures out where Mary is, goes to the point on the planet where he determines the elusive sarcophagus to be, kneels and prays. So - and please correct me if I'm off here - it seems to me these off-the-rickter-scale IQ characters went to a lot of trouble, placed themselves in a lot of danger avoiding the police and the Opus Dei, and even crossed borders without purses or passports in order to prove Jesus was human. So they could worship ... someone else. One more time, this time with feeling... Folks who refuse to acknowledge Jesus as God and worship Him as God, are going to substitute another god in there instead. It's what we do. If it's not Jesus, it will be someone or something else. Mary, Buddah, Krishna, Mohamed, money, celebrities, our kids, our ministries, our pets, our hobbies...Wherever our time, energy and money go pretty much points to what we worship. And the reason we choose another god besides Jesus is because, ultimately, we worship ourselves. Believing we can do nothing to merit or earn eternal life is ridiculous, to our way of thinking. And so, we must be enlightened, say X-number of prayers each day, light some candles, have phat bank accounts and perfect kids that never say THAT word or watch THAT TV show, do this or do that... Because it's just too much to think that we can do absolutely nothing at all to merit salvation. So, we decide on what we are going to worship and that is where we bow our mental knee. Because His grace is just impossible for us to truly understand. Or is it?
 Carol's blog can be found here. Labels: Carol's Articles, worship Leave a comment... 9 Comments Links to this post
Talking on the phone, reading the newspaper, shaving, putting make-up on. Believe it or not, but this is what I see every morning while driving to work. Some mornings it is really frustrating to drive behind someone who drives 35 in a 45 zone. They are pre-occupied with other things instead of driving. But isn't that what we do with God? We are pre-occupied with our daily stuff and forget worshiping Him until Sunday. Then we put on our Sunday's best and congregate with other believers. Is our Lord only to be worshiped on Sundays? What about when we do our daily chores? When we change diapers, fold the laundry, cook food or drive to and from work? I challenge you this week and the weeks to come to worship and praise Him every single day. When you fold you laundry sing a song. When you change the diaper, thank and praise Him that you have a bundle of joy to change the diapers for. When you cook, put on your headphones and worship Him. Believe me, everything will go faster when you are in His presence. As for me, when I am frustrated during the morning commute -- I turn up the music and make a joyful noise to Him with songs of praise. If the driver next to me at the stop-light thinks I lost all my marbles because I raise my hands to Him -- I just turn and smile...  "Lord of Heaven and Earth. Remind us that worship is not only for Sundays. Lead us in praise and songs throughout the week. Through the power of Your Spirit let us declare Your glory in all things we do. In the precious name of Jesus. Amen."  You can also find me at my personal blog Sting My Heart Labels: Iris's Articles, worship Leave a comment... 6 Comments Links to this post The music starts while heads turn to the back of the church where a crowd of little ones has gathered. Palm branches suspended by small hands wave in our sight, Hosanna’s escape from lips like butterfly kisses that float in the air. Eyes searching for parents, elbows bumping one to the other, they make their way to the front, where they lay their branches on the altar. I smile hoping no one will notice the pink in my cheeks, and the tears that burn in my eyes, threatening to spill over staining my cheeks. I take a deep breath, lift hands to my mouth and exhale. Paths crisscross with children searching for seats; I wave to Madison who holds the hands of her brothers, trying to guide them toward us. They find their seats, settle in, and the music continues to play. I sing a little, but wonder if perhaps it’s best I hold back, my throat is sore, and congestion has gotten the best of me. Noticing the woman beside me has flashed a smile my way, I pull lint from my sweater and smirk, revealing my imperfections in hopes that they may mask another. I continue to sing. Nathaniel is clapping alone, unaware of the beat, until my husband grabs hold of his hands and leads him along. He doesn’t notice or care that he’s a one man marching band, so he continues to clap while we worship. Then he stops, tugs on his big brothers sleeve and speaks over the music, “Can I sit on your soldiers?” he asks. Brendan unable to understand what he wants throws him a puzzled look. “He wants to sit on your shoulders,” I translate. Brendan smiles, but shakes his head, “Not right now guy.” I continue to worship. The pastor speaks, while I write. He asks us to turn to the book of Matthew, and I do while in wonder I ask myself why I carry the Bible when the words appear on screen. I leaf through the onionskin pages, till my eyes rest on the passage at hand where I follow along. Marveling at the annotated reference notes, I wonder if others know the secrets I’m learning, my eyes rest on the page for a while until the silence tells me I’m lagging behind. My eyes rise to meet the eyes of the pastor, while I lean in to hear more. Michael moves closer and whispers pointing out how the couple in front of us looks identical to the other couple just down their row. Together we study the back of their heads, discovering that they do look alike except for the fact that the women have slightly different lengths in hair, and the color is a shade or two off. The woman sitting to my right passes her baby behind her. Taking the opportunity, I turn and smile to the people behind me, admiring the baby they hold. I pick up my pen and continue dictation, trying my best to absorb all that I can. Hearing the music I return to my feet, smoothing my skirt and clearing my throat. Tugging on Michael’s sleeve with one hand, and scratching his nose with the other, Nathaniel calls out, “Can I sit on your soldiers Daddy?” We smile, while Michael answers, “Maybe later, my soldiers are sore now, ok?” Nudging his arm I hold in a laugh. The music winds down, while closing words dismiss us from the service. I drop to my seat, and pick up my pen sliding it past the smooth leather wallet where it finally comes to rest. Picking up the notebook, I take one last look at the scratches I’ve put down on paper, hoping to remember all that I’ve learned. What kind of worshipper are you? It asks… Are you one of those who found themselves caught up in the moment singing “Hosanna in the highest” waving her palm branch high in the air, because it felt right? Perhaps you’ve said, “Why not? It seems fun.” Or, are you one of those who liked the company of this man who took care of her. Perhaps He fed you in the group of five thousand, or healed a friend that was sick. You like Him because there’s something in it for you. Or, lastly perhaps unlike the others, you know what the cheering is really about because you have a relationship with the One that you worship. You know that there’s nothing else that you’d rather do than cheer and wave your palm branch high in the air; you know that He is the one and only King of Kings and Lord of Lords. You want nothing else but to find your way through the crowd to get a glimpse of the one they call Christ. Bowing my head I whisper a prayer, “Teach me to find my way through this crowd I call the world that pushes around me and takes my eyes off the one that I love. And, when it does press in, Father,” I ask, “can you lift me high on your shoulders, so that I might glimpse the man who died for my sins?”  Labels: Darlene's Articles, worship Leave a comment... 19 Comments Links to this post Today marks a significant day in our history, Palm Sunday. Today we remember the week leading up to the most inconceivable event in human history. The Son of God! Recorded in all four Gospels: Sunday: The Triumphal Entry; On the first day of the week Jesus rode into Jerusalem on a donkey, fulfilling an ancient prophecy. Monday: Clearing of the Temple, turning the tables of the money changers. Tuesday: Controversy and parables; Jesus evaded the Pharisees traps and taught the people. Wednesday: Unmentioned. (Interesting) Thursday: The Last Supper with his disciples. A loaf and a cup of wine. The new covenant. Friday: The crucifixion and death of our Savior. Saturday: Defeats the enemy of The Ancient of Days! Sunday: Resurrection of the Messiah, Jesus the Son of God. Victory over death for all mankind. As I am typing this recap of Christ's life, I feel a lump in my throat and warm tears brimming. My soul is overwhelmed with the hope I have because of this week and what Jesus did for me. He split time in two. He is the first. He is the last. He is everything in between. He is conqueror. He is redeemer of the broken hearted. His is the restorer of relationships. He is healer of all wounds. He knows the innermost parts of my heart. My Provider. My Champion. Powerful Advocate. He is trustworthy and true. He holds the stars in His hand! Wars are waged against Him......He is victorious! Lies are broadcast about Him......He is truth! Governments try to crush Him......He is sovereign! Legislators work to erase Him......He is ever-present. Schools no longer pray to Him......He is our intercessor. The media scorns His name......His name gives life. Evil tried to kill him......HE LIVES! Isaiah 53:5 But he was pierced for our transgressions,  We are healed. We have hope. We have victory. Jesus faced the week ahead for us. We are the passion of Jesus Christ.  Labels: Lynn's Articles, sacrifice, salvation, worship Leave a comment... 15 Comments Links to this post
Friday, March 23, 2007
Apparently, my eighth-grader, Kristin, has been the only girl in her entire school, school district, or in Indiana who has still been wearing (you won’t believe this) jeans to school. This “fact” was exacerbated by the “fact” that she could no longer fit into anything that was discarded all over her bed, floor, dressers, closet, or ceiling fan. It’s true that middle schoolers, like toddlers, can grow a lot in one year, so we went shopping for a few items. We looked for styles we could both approve of, but the plethora of microscopic, miniscule, dinky, veritably undetectable wee shorts and skirts was not acceptable to either of us. But that’s a whole ‘nother post! Nevertheless, we made a couple of purchases. Kristin was excited about her new clothes. In fact, she expressed appreciation several times. All in all, the excursion was turning out to be a great mom/daughter bonding time. But then something drained Kristin’s spirit and zapped her stamina in a matter of minutes: I began looking at a few things for myself. Her countenance dropped. Her knees buckled. Her eyes actually got bloodshot. She dragged her feet and leaned on clothes racks for support. She wasn’t complaining, rude or misbehaving; she had simply gotten what she came for, and suddenly, the party was over. Later at home, we were laughing about her descent into listlessness when she remarked that what she did is similar to the way we relate to God sometimes. That is, when we need or want something, we ask, and a lot of times we get what we want. Sadly, as soon as we feel relief from worry, or the storm has passed, or the wish has been granted, we grow tired of praying. We’re not unappreciative or rude to God; we probably even say “thank you,” just as Kristin did. However, we just don’t sense the same urgency or even remember to talk to him like we did when we were holding out our hands. Galatians 3:25-27 reminds us: “By faith in Christ you are in direct relationship with God. Your baptism in Christ was not just washing you up for a fresh start. It also involved dressing you in an adult faith wardrobe—Christ's life, the fulfillment of God's original promise.” [The Message] I am reminded that I’m in a relationship with God, my Father, who is interested in who I am on the inside. I love him, and I want to make sure that I participate in our relationship every day in ways that don’t involve asking for something. Whether in earthly relationships or in the one with our Father, there is joy in just spending time with someone we love. Today, may we dress ourselves in an “adult faith wardrobe,” giving thanks to our Provider but also seeking Father/Daughter bonding time without an agenda. May we adore him and fully appreciate that because of Christ, we enjoy a direct relationship with the pre-existent, co-eternal, omnipotent God, who, inexplicably, desires to meet with us at any time, every day. What grace!  Labels: Linda's Articles, Prayer, quiet time, relationship with God, shopping, Spring, thankfulness, worship Leave a comment... 6 Comments Links to this post
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