What is TRUE Praise & Worship

I know that going to church on Sundays or whatever day of the week we choose to attend, and "singing" songs corporately is not really "true praise & worship".  Lately it seems I am the only person that feels this way.  I see worship as more than a " lifestyle"; I see it as a commitment.  To me it is a commitment to let go of my inhibitions around others (no matter what the circumstances) and really lose myself in The ONE who gave Himself for me.

It isn't singing the right song, with the right note, accompanied by the right instruments.  It is making a joyful noise out of the mess of my life, my marriage, my family, my hopes, my dreams, my wants, & my desires in order to let go and receive all He wants me to be.

I am praising the God of Abraham, Isaac, & Jacob.  I am praising the God who is YHWH.  I am praising the One who is I Am.  I Am praising the One who rose from the tomb.  I am praising the One who revealed himself to the woman at the well.  I am praising the One who inadvertently healed the woman with the issue of blood.  I am praising the One who cast out demons, hung out with sinners, called ordinary & sinful men to follow Him.  I am praising the One who lifted me out of a life of sin & shame to ordain me for a greater purpose and make me His own.

I am praising the One who saw something in me and still sees more in me worth saving each & everyday.  I am praising the One who tells me EVERY morning how much He loves me & NEVER fails to tell me how much he cares every night before I sleep.

"Love so amazing, love so amazing. Jesus Messiah, name above all names.  Blessed Redeemer, Emanuel.  The rescue for sinners, the ransom from heaven.  Jesus Messiah, Lord of all." (Written by Chris Tomlin, Daniel Carson, Ed Cash, Jesse Reeves)

I know He doesn't just want me to sing a song just because it's the 'right' thing to do. He wants me to bare my soul, forget my worries & truly enter His gates with thanksgiving & go into His courts with praise.

"On your feet now—applaud God!  Bring a gift of laughter, sing yourselves into his presence.  Know this: God is God, and God, God.  He made us; we didn't make him. We’re his people, his well-tended sheep.  Enter with the password: “Thank you!” Make yourselves at home, talking praise.  Thank him. Worship him.  For God is sheer beauty, all-generous in love, loyal always and ever." Psalm 100:1-5 The MSG

"Shout with joy to the Lord, all the earth!  Worship the Lord with gladness.  Come before him, singing with joy.  Acknowledge that the Lord is God! He made us, and we are his.  We are his people, the sheep of his pasture.  Enter his gates with thanksgiving; go into his courts with praise.  Give thanks to him and praise his name.  For the Lord is good.  His unfailing love continues forever, and his faithfulness continues to each generation." Psalm 100:1-5 NLT

Think about it.  If someone gave you a personal gift that changed your life forever, would you behave nonchalantly every time you saw them or would you sing their praises to everyone you came in contact with?  I have a feeling you would not be able to keep what they did for you a secret.

Let Psalm 100 fully sink into your spirit & you will no longer just be in 'Corporate Compliance' on Sunday mornings, but you will fully understand what it means to 'truly' praise & worship Him.

Pursue Them Anyway

God has given me the burden of encouraging couples and families.  It isn't really a burden at all, but a funny things happens when you begin to pray, "God break my heart for the things that break yours."  He actually does and will do it for things that you never noticed before - like marriages breaking up and families falling apart.  After I began to pray that prayer, I received an overwhelming desire to encourage, mentor, and intercede for marriages and families.  Things others may not notice or pick up on, I find myself praying for them.

I recently read, "Thank God that He in all pursues you and responds with love, grace, and forgiveness to your multiple failures."  I agree with that statement and want to encourage everyone to do the same with their spouse or family member.  Yes, they are imperfect and may not do things our way, but let's continue to pursue them and respond to them with the same grace, love, and forgiveness that we ALWAYS receive from Jesus Christ.

Maybe your marriage & family are perfect and couldn't get any better.  However, for those of us with imperfect marriages and familes or for those of us who may even believe that we married the WRONG person, let's treat them like they are the RIGHT person for us.  Very soon you will see the Holy Spirit transform them into what God wants them to be.

This journey is not about us.  Its about sharing our story of redemtion with one person at a time.

There's Beauty in Suffering

Okay so the challenge was issued in our small group yesterday to encourage your spouse to take time to be alone with God.  So today I asked my hubby (although I'm not supposed to ask) if I could have some alone time with God.  He said yes so with my hot cup of cider & The Message Bible in tow I set out for an adventure in the great outdoors - my back porch ;)

Today's verse was Philippians 1:21:

"So how am I to respond?  I've decided that I really don't care about their motives, whether mixed, bad, or indifferent.  Every time one of them opens his mouth, Christ is proclaimed, so I just cheer them on!"

I asked God what does this mean in today's terms (as I fully believe that the Bible is still relevant for every aspect of our life).  I glanced around our back yard & settled on our firepit.  A firepit brings warmth & all are drawn to its light.  Whether its family & friends or an intimate time between you & your spouse, people enjoy time spent around a firepit.  The beauty of the flames can be so intoxicating when gazing upon the glory of an open fire, you never give a second thought to the 'suffering' wood underneath it all.  We enjoy it so much we just toss another log on top if the flame begins to die down.

As intimate as it may be, I imagine the fire enjoys bringing warmth to all who are within it's close proximity.  As it dances in the dark, almost teasing you to "Look at me, look at what I have to offer.  I can make you warm, I can help you forge new memories with friends & family."

We too are like the fire.  With Christ in us, we bring light & warmth to others.  Some are innately drawn to us while others may have to be invited.  Still the Holy Spirit helps us mend broken hearts, bring healing to families, and hope to the lost.  All the while, we are suffering for His sake.  A beauty to behold to Christ.  And when His peace that passes all understanding rules our hearts and minds (Philippians 4:7) within our suffering, we are a beauty to behold to others.

Encourage each other to take time with God alone & help each other to make this a reality.

The Straw That Broke The Camel's Back

The Bible states in James 5:16 that the prayers of the righteous are powerful & effective. Knowing this, we must constantly remind ourselves that the more prayers we pour on top of our strongholds, the sooner they will eventually break from the weight.


I am a child of the 70's & I remember a game we had actually called 'The Straw That Broke the Camel's Back' (don't worry you're too young to remember it). Anyway it was fairly simple - the plastic camel was in two pieces (front end & back end) held together by a simple rubber band. On each side of the camel was an open saddle bag.


All you had to do was take turns putting a plastic stick (the straw) into one of the saddle bags making sure your straw wasn't the one that broke it's back. Too many straws & the camel would start to sway & the middle would bend toward the table. All of the straws would eventually break its back & it would snap in two (still held together by the rubber band).


I think you know where I'm going with this - our strongholds are like that camel. Our prayers like those straws. By themselves they may not seem like much. But piled high one on top of the other, coupled with spoken scripture, fasting, psalms, hymns, praises, & spiritual songs, they (just like the camel's back) eventually break.


My friend, keep piling them up high one after the other & I guarantee the Master will eventually break those strongholds in two. After all, they are only held together by a simple rubber band.


Originally Shared with my home church on May 15, 2010.

He Will, He Is, He Has, & He Does

When I woke up on the morning of  Wednesday, March 24, 2010, 11:36 AM EST, God had this to say:


So they shall fear the name of the LORD from the west, and his glory from the rising of the sun; for he will come like a rushing stream, which the wind of the LORD drives. "And a Redeemer will come to Zion, to those in Jacob who turn from transgression," declares the LORD. "And as for me, this is my covenant with them," says the LORD: "My Spirit that is upon you, and my words that I have put in your mouth, shall not depart out of your mouth, or out of the mouth of your offspring, or out of the mouth of your children’s offspring," says the LORD, "from this time forth and forevermore." Isaiah 59:19-21

Here’s how The Message Bible states it:

In the west they'll fear the name of God, in the east they'll fear the glory of God, for he'll arrive like a river in flood stage, whipped to a torrent by the wind of God. I'll arrive in Zion as Redeemer, to those in Jacob who leave their sins." God's Decree. "As for me," God says, "this is my covenant with them: My Spirit that I've placed upon you and the words that I've given you to speak, they're not going to leave your mouths nor the mouths of your children nor the mouths of your grandchildren. You will keep repeating these words and won't ever stop." God's orders.

I do not know who needs this message today nor I am sure what you have to face today but I want you to be encouraged & know that God will not allow the enemy to prevail. The sovereign God of Jacob will come to our rescue and He will surely wipe every tear from our eye soon. Hang in there and don’t give up or start making your own plans. Continue to pray, stay in the word, sing praises to God and believe. He will…, He is…, He has…, and He does!


Be encouraged.

I don't wanna go through the motions.
I don't wanna go one more day,
without Your all consuming passion inside of me.
I don't wanna spend my whole life asking,
"What if I had given everything,
instead of going through the motions?"
Songwriters: Jason Houser; Sam Mizell; Matthew West


(This is a prayer request sent home church on Thursday, 1-14-10, 10:54AM EST)

As I reluctantly type this prayer request, the words to Matthew West's song are ringing in my ears. So once again our heavenly Father is urging me to send out another prayer request for Haiti. As I watch the news & listen to the radio, I see destruction, devastation, & heartache. If you are one of the many K-Love radio listeners, no doubt you have heard from many of your favorite Christian artists that have been there or are going there to help. A few of them already had established ministries to Haiti set up long before this disaster. People are still trapped, buried, missing or presumed dead. Lots of Haitians are digging through the rubble with no tools, just bare hands trying to find their loved ones & save others. Many of the buildings are unstable & they are afraid to go inside to look for their friends & family members. With my father already gone home & having just lost my mother I don't think I could camp out in the street of my neighborhood wondering if my kids & husband were okay. I'd be a basket case digging through that rubble with my own bare hands or running through a leaning house trying to save them especially if I could hear them calling for help. No amount of concrete could keep me from putting my own life in danger to save theirs.


Please pray about how God would have you help if you haven't already done so. Not sure what to pray? Try putting yourself in their shoes. What would you ask God for? What would you need? There are many established ministries & charities that are there or en route and they will need your prayers as well. If you personally know of a ministry in Haiti that could use your prayers or help, pray about helping them. Pray for the safety of our troops headed there and other workers headed there to help dig through the rubble. Many of those buildings look okay from the outside or look as If they weren't harmed but foundational cracks can't be seen from above the ground. Pray for the right people to be sent to assess the buildings that weren't damaged.


Is God leading you to go down there for a season? Is He leading you to adopt an orphan? Is He leading you to send food, clothing, water, tools, to give a monetary donation or something else? I have a sense from the Holy Spirit that God needs us to do more than just pray especially since they are reporting that many of these people have been open & receptive to hear the Word of God. This is going to be a big challenge when half of their population practices voodoo. So please also keep the Haitians that are brand new Christians in your prayers.


You can go to www.klove.com or www.samaritanspurse.com to find a way to help. You can also go to www.weatherchannel.com then click on "Relief: How You Can Help" to find both Christian & secular organizations such as the Red Cross, World Vision & Operation Blessing, if you'd like to help that way. Be lead of the Holy Spirit as you find an established ministry or charity in Haiti to give a donation to and always, always keep them in your prayers. Let's not just go through the motions with this one.


Live simply. Love generously. Care deeply. Speak kindly. Leave the rest to God.

I did not want to originally type this, but "Obedience is better than sacrifice." (I Sam. 15:22)

Looking for the Living One in a Cemetary

1-3At the crack of dawn on Sunday, the women came to the tomb carrying the burial spices they had prepared. They found the entrance stone rolled back from the tomb, so they walked in. But once inside, they couldn't find the body of the Master Jesus.

4-8They were puzzled, wondering what to make of this. Then, out of nowhere it seemed, two men, light cascading over them, stood there. The women were awestruck and bowed down in worship. The men said, "Why are you looking for the Living One in a cemetery? He is not here, but raised up. Remember how he told you when you were still back in Galilee that he had to be handed over to sinners, be killed on a cross, and in three days rise up?" Then they remembered Jesus' words. (Luke 24:1-8, The Message Bible)

In today’s world I am reminded Daily that I am “just a woman”.  People often mis-quote the scripture about me being the weaker vessel which doesn’t really bother me. It’s funny how those not lead of Christ can think that me being “just a woman” would hinder whatever it is He has called me to do. It won’t. I may be “just a woman” but Greater is He that is in me, than he that is in the world.



Those women had no clue how they were going to roll that stone away nor did they care. Their one mission was to go and anoint his body with spices. No stone could stop them because they went anyway. When you allow Christ to truly use you, no stone can stop you. I pray that nothing hinders you from following through with what He and only He has called each of you to do.

In Christ Alone
No guilt in life, no fear in death, This is the power of Christ in me; From life's first cry to final breath. Jesus commands my destiny. No power of hell, no scheme of man, Can ever pluck me from His hand; Till He returns or calls me home, Here in the power of Christ I'll stand.