Tag Archives: worship

Almost ~ Five Minute Friday

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“Then Nebuchadnezzar said, ‘Praise be to the God of Shadrach, Meshach, and Abendnego!'” Daniel 3:28

Almost

I live in a state with a very recognizable motto; one that I think if I start it most people can finish it. Are you ready? “Almost heaven, _________ ________________. Can’t you just hear the iconic sound of John Denver’s voice telling you so?

Yes, I live in West Virginia and I know why “almost heaven” is a fitting description. While we don’t have streets of gold, we do have Golden Trout in our rivers and streams. There aren’t angels singing, however some famous country stars have come from here. The mountains are majestic. The valleys serene. People are gracious and there’s lots of space to escape the pressures of the world. It’s just pretty divine to me and I’m thankful to call it home!

Recently, I was out of state but there was a point when it too felt like home. My husband and I were gifted with tickets to see a musical play based on the book of Daniel in the Bible. It was amazing! The actors, mobile scenery, moving music, and even live animals made for a spectacular production. Surprisingly though, it was a moment with the audience that brought a rapture I never expected.

In the book of Daniel, Shadrach, Meshach, and Abendnego were three men who would only worship God and refused to bow down before an image of gold King Nebuchadnezzar set up. Because of this, the king became enraged and ordered the men be thrown into a blazing furnace.

“Then King Nebuchandnezzar leaped to his feet in amazement and asked his advisers, ‘Weren’t there three men that we tied up and threw into the fire?’ They replied, ‘Certainly, Your Majesty.’
He said, ‘Look! I see four men walking around in the fire, unbound and unharmed, and the fourth looks like a son of the gods.’ “
Daniel 3:24-25 (NIV)

After this, the king calls the three men to come out from the furnace and they do, completely unharmed. At this point in the play, the doors of the furnace opened and standing in the midst of the flames with the three men in glowing splendor was… Jesus.  The entire theater erupted! Applause, whistles, and loud cheers filled the large room! And as I joined in, tears filled my eyes while goosebumps covered my body. I can’t put into words how it felt to sit there with 1,999 other people shouting in unison, at the top of our lungs…not for a sports team…not for a pop star, but for the presence of our Savior. It was something I’ll never forget and to be honest I didn’t want to leave the new found family I’d become a part of.

Now that I’m back in West Virginia, I’ve thought a lot about my experience at the Sight and Sound Theater. It’s rare to be in such a large group engaged in the one purpose of praising Jesus. It still gives me chills and my eyes leak too. But, it’s occurred to me since then, that there will come a time when we’ll truly be Home, where together our days will be filled with more than applause.  We will be gathered in worship. Knowing this has helped me realize that during those few minutes joining with others in praise put me in a heavenly state…..well….almost!

“Then I looked and heard the voice of many angels, numbering thousands upon thousands, and ten thousand times ten thousand. They encircled the throne and the living creatures and the elders. In a loud voice they were saying: ‘Worthy is the Lamb, who was slain, to receive power and wealth and wisdom and strength and honor and glory and praise!’ Then I heard every creature in heaven and on earth and under the earth and on the sea, and all that is in them, saying: ‘To him who sits on the throne and to the Lamb be praise and honor and glory and power, for ever and ever!’”
Revelation 5:11-13 (NIV)

I “almost” didn’t but then changed my mind and am joining with others writing to the prompt “Almost” over at http://www.fiveminutefriday.com Click over to read more!

 

Rush ~ Five Minute Friday

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“Come, let us bow down in worship, let us kneel before the Lord our Maker; for he is our God and we are the people of his pasture, the flock under his care. Psalm 95:6-7 (NIV)

Where Are You Rushing To?

Tis’ the season or so we say
And yet we rush through every day.
Errands, parties, calendars full.
Obligations in every direction pull.

The Salvation Army bell that rings.
The choir on the corner who sings.
Their tunes fall upon our deaf ear
We’re too distracted to even hear.

Wrap a gift for a child in need?
Too busy for that, yes indeed!
Cookies for church? We wish we could.
No time for the lonely in our neighborhood.

The more we hurry the less we do
Of what we know God’s calling us to.
Keeping up fills our mind
Instead of joy we just feel behind.

But what if we rushed in a whole new way?
Straight to the manger filled with hay.
Like the Shepherds did of old.
Do we desire to be so bold?

“And there were shepherds living out in the fields nearby, keeping watch over their flocks at night.  An angel of the Lord appeared to them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were terrified.  But the angel said to them, ‘Do not be afraid.  I bring you good news that will cause great joy for all the people. Today in the town of David a Savior has been born to you; he is the Messiah, the Lord.  This will be a sign to you: You will find a baby wrapped in cloths and lying in a manger.’ Suddenly a great company of the heavenly host appeared with the angel, praising God and saying, ‘Glory to God in the highest heaven, and on earth peace to those on whom his favor rests.’ When the angels had left them and gone into heaven, the shepherds said to one another, ‘Let’s go to Bethlehem and see this thing that has happened, which the Lord has told us about.’ So they hurried off and found Mary and Joseph, and the baby, who was lying in the manger.” Luke 2:8-16 (NIV)

Christmas isn’t about what we get done.
It’s a celebration of God’s own Son.
So let’s rush to the Christ Child; make no delay
Bow down, worship, and rest in His peace today!

Joining in with the other talented writers at http://www.fiveminutefriday.com to ponder on the prompt “Rush”. I know you’ll want to hurry over and read what they are offering too!

Worship ~ 1/31 Days of Five Minute Free Writes

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I’ve had a bit of writing anxiety lately which has caused me to literally avoid looking at my lap top. (Out of sight. Out of mind. Or so I thought.)  I’ve found though, that writing is a part of who I am and I really miss it, so…. I have decided to join in on the 31 Days of Five Minute Free Writes at http://www.fiveminutefriday.com 

Each day in October I’ll write for five minutes on a given prompt.  This is mostly an unedited style of writing  that I’m sure will challenge this “recovering perfectionist”; but hopefully in a good way! Please pray that I won’t quit, I’ll have fun, and that I’ll learn more about myself, writing, and my relationship with God. I’d love for you to follow along with me on this journey! Better yet, join in!

Here I go….Time Starts Now!

“Shout to the Lord, all the earth; break out in praise and sing for joy! (Psalm 98:4 NLT) Pixabay

I have a donkey living next door to me.  We’ve named him Jedediah.  The first time he broke out with his bray made me jump and he continues to startle me each time he lets loose!  With his head lifted high and ears extended, he opens his mouth and literally screams at the top of his lungs; sometimes for several minutes.  It can happen anytime in the day or night and Jedediah doesn’t care who it might disturb.

I think worship should be like that!  At any time, day or night, we should lift our heads, extend our arms, and break out with shouts of praise for all to hear about what God has done for us!  Unfortunately, I often am the opposite of Jedediah and hesitate to worship like this for fear of bothering those around me or more than that, of embarrassing myself. Maybe you’re like that too. I hope to become more like Jedediah in the future and put a little more “hee haw” into my worship and let my praise be a joyful noise for all to hear!

Times Up! Whew! That went by fast!

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Commercials In My Worship Time?

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I’ve been on a quest recently to improve my personal worship time; to make it more meaningful and fervent. My goal was to take time (linger for the right reason) and create an atmosphere of thanksgiving, adoration, and prayer.  Because I love music I knew that’s where this special time with God would begin.  I don’t know about you, but praise music makes me feel about as close to Heaven as anything can.  I grabbed my iPad, hit the Pandora app choosing the Praise station and soft notes filled my room.  The uplifting words filled my soul.  My breathing slowed and my heart soared. “WOULD YOU LIKE TO IMPROVE YOUR BRAIN?” What was happening?  “TOUCH THE AD NOW TO LEARN MORE!”  Startled, I became drawn away from God by a commercial in my worship time! 

Now, thinking back, this wasn’t the first time I’ve experienced a “station break” while in worship.   I can’t tell you how many times I’ve created grocery lists, to-do lists, even written blog posts in my mind in the midst of a prayer. Have you been there? Or as I’m in a time of praise and thanksgiving, an unanswered prayer or unmet want vies for my attention changing my attitude in a moment. My wandering mind tends to be more focused on the propaganda of my life than it is on being in worship with the One who died to save my life!

“Since you have been raised to new life with Christ, set your sights on the realities of heaven, where Christ sits in the place of honor at God’s right hand. Think about the things of heaven, not the things of earth.” Colossians 3:1-2 (NLT)

When I’m creating a new “personal worship time” instead of worshiping the Creator, thinking about things I have to do instead of thanking Him for all the things He’s done, or holding onto feelings that I shouldn’t instead of praising the One who holds me in His nail-scarred hand; my focus is on “the things of earth”…ME!

In the end, God doesn’t care if I have a new and improved worship time.  There isn’t a worship script He asks us to follow.  The truth is that worship isn’t about us at all.  Worship is ALL about God and who He is…..”setting our sights on the realities of Heaven”. 

“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

So let’s not just think about it; let’s play the music, sing the songs, lift the prayers, give the thanks, and Worship “for the Lord. Is. Good!” Oh, and those commercials?  There’s always the mute button!

Magnify

Uplift

Thank

Exalt

 It’s #livefreeThursday an today at http://www.tsuzanneeller.com the prompt is worship.