Thursday, November 27, 2014
Wednesday, November 26, 2014
Tuesday, November 25, 2014
Heart of it all, & at rest... Pt. 2
learning to pray more in the spirit, and tuning deeper with His prompting and leading than my own. simply because He knows better. there is no worth chasing after something that is not where i am called for. would rather be in the hallway than go through a door who's knob He did not turn.
J., i know You still got this despite what my senses tell me. that the sight set before me is not the end of it. and instead of hoping and praying on the matter, i find myself at ease being on my knees again.
worship is always the answer to everything. because it lessens self occupation and Christ is at center again. here is where my very significance and value lies and not in any other. i lay down everything i have got, as i am still nothing without Your immense grace.
may i never lose this posture. oh Your love... xxx
J., i know You still got this despite what my senses tell me. that the sight set before me is not the end of it. and instead of hoping and praying on the matter, i find myself at ease being on my knees again.
worship is always the answer to everything. because it lessens self occupation and Christ is at center again. here is where my very significance and value lies and not in any other. i lay down everything i have got, as i am still nothing without Your immense grace.
may i never lose this posture. oh Your love... xxx
Monday, November 24, 2014
Building a Healthy Worship Culture | JD
Leading worship isn't just about the songs we sing on the platform in our church services. Worship is a stance of the heart, it's a lifestyle, and it's reflected in every area of our lives.
As worship teams, let's not just focus on the lights and music and choruses and screens, but let's first focus on building a healthy culture of worship in our churches and worship teams! Here are a few things I've learnt on the way, that help build this kind of culture:
1. IT'S ALL ABOUT EXAMPLE
People will follow what you do more than what you say. It's possible to sometimes get people to do what you say, BUT people will naturally do what they see you doing!
To quote my incredible senior pastor, Brian Houston, "we BE a culture"... we need to BE the example of the culture we want to see, not just talk about it!
2. DON'T LOSE SIGHT OF THE "WHY"
As the church it is so often all hands on deck and we find ourselves often doing things we never expected to be doing. It's way too easy to get caught up in the "doing" that we lose sight of why and whom we are doing it for.
Everything we do should be able to be traced back to glorifying Jesus and helping people see Him in everything! When we remember this is WHY we do what we do then we will do the tasks with much more energy and purpose and joy!! So let's not lose sight of the WHY!
3. REMEMBER IT'S AN HONOUR!
The fact that we have breath - that God IS Emmanuel and always with us - that He would grace us with His presence - my goodness I am grateful!!!! The truth that all we need do is ask Him to come and He does!! WOW!! What an honour that Jesus graces us with His presence!!
When we don't lose sight of this wonder, it will help keep our team culture healthy! Let's not forget the HONOUR it is that we get to be ministers of HIS presence!
4. STAY IN THE WORD
This could not be more basic, but it is even more important than it is basic. The Word of God is a lamp unto our feet and a light unto our path. It's the truth! When people hear it and see it and the Word is being spoken into the culture of a team, it will help the team move in the right direction and be healthy! When the Word of God is central to the culture, it's bound to be healthy!
5. PRAY!
In my journey of leading teams and building healthy cultures, it's rare that a day goes by when I don't pray a very simple prayer that usually goes something like this:
“HELP!!!!!! ...Amen”
Relying on God and asking for Him to help lead and guide us is a MUST! Praise God that He hears our prayers and is our very help is present time of need. We NEED Him and He's with us! So let's PRAY and ask Jesus to lead and guide us and that we would do it HIS way!
6. DON'T DO IT ALONE
We are not a one-man band - we are a TEAM. To build a team you need a team!
Rather than trying to spell out the culture to a large group of people, my suggestion would be to gather a small team of key people and establish the culture you want to build and WHY. Then repeat this week after week after week with them. Once culture is established in your key team, then you can empower this small group that you see as leaders to carry and build the culture in your wider team!
7. EMPOWER OTHERS TO CARRY THE CULTURE
As I have just touched on, it is so helpful to empower people to carry and be the culture. It's great to pray and believe for people to start following the culture you are trying to set, BUT it's also quite useful to sit people down one on one and ask them to embrace, carry, and lead the culture themselves! When we EMPOWER people to carry the culture and own it, their ownership will help build and keep the culture.
8. TRUST IN GOD!! (Not in yourself)
There is a lot we can't do but there is nothing God can't! It's so easy to be discouraged in our own ability (or lack thereof), but it's not necessarily a bad place to find yourself in — it causes us to trust and acknowledge that what we can't be, HE can!!! It's simple and incredibly important!! So let's place our trust in God's ability!
9. ENCOURAGE
Speak that which is not as if it is! People don't usually see the incredible potential that is in them, and even sometimes we as leaders can miss it! The truth is that every single person is a gift from God and has an incredible purpose and plan on their life that is given by God!
Sometimes encouragement is the simplest and most important thing that we can deposit into our team to water the gift within. It's pretty much the main thing that gave me confidence to lead out as a young person. If the leaders in my world didn't tell me that I could do it, I would have never attempted it!
10. WE NEVER ARRIVE
There isn't really a set time frame that it takes to build a culture. For us at Hillsong Church, we are 30 years in and as long as we are gathering and leading people then we will be endeavouring to keep building a healthy culture.
This is meant to be encouraging! It's easy to see where we are not and be discouraged... but as long as you can look back and see progress, then be encouraged!! And KEEP GOING! We don't ever arrive so don't lose heart!
Creating a Worshipful Environment | Brian Houston
“Worship is the strategy by which we interrupt our preoccupation with ourselves and attend to the presence of God. “ - Eugene Peterson
Just over a month ago, I spoke in our weekly staff meeting about ‘Creating a Worshipful Environment’. I love this quote above from Eugene Peterson… it paints the picture that as we take our eyes off ourselves and focus them on God; our worship becomes a powerful strategy – a force for good, changing the environment around us.
Hillsong is a worshipping church. For reasons unbeknown to us, God has graced our church with a ministry of praise and worship that has exceeded far beyond our own natural abilities. I believe worship is very much a part of the culture of our church and to continue a healthy culture of worship, I shared with my staff ten points that we must always keep in mind…
The Psalmist in Psalm 42.4 (MSG) cries out, “I was always at the head of the worshipping crowd, right out in front, Leading them all, eager to arrive and worship, Shouting praises, singing thanksgiving…”
What does it mean to be ‘out front of the worshipping crowd?’ I believe that worship cannot and must not be led just from the platform. Worship must be an environment we cultivate, a culture that we encourage from the furthest seat in our sanctuaries to the Worship Leader at the front of the crowd.
Romans 12:1 (MSG) exhorts us, “Take your everyday, ordinary life – your sleeping, eating, going to work and walking around life – and place it before God as an offering…”
As leaders – or more to the point, as CHRISTIANS – we are to lead lives of worship, eager to always be ‘head of the worshipping crowd’.
Over the years many people have asked about how we create a culture of worship. And I truly believe that the sound of our House will always reflect the soul of our House. Where there is a healthy soul, filled with life and praise and adoration of who God is, there will be a healthy sound that emanates from the very core of who we are and what we know and declare about our God.
Pastors, we must take responsibility for a worshipful environment in our churches. If we see worship as a way of life, then surely a healthy church filled with healthy people will simply see Sunday’s praise and worship as an overflow of our Monday-Friday living.
Hebrews 4:16 (NIV) says, “Let us then approach God’s throne of grace with confidence…”
If worship was about us, I don’t know about you but I wouldn’t be able to approach worship with confidence! Don’t make worship about your worthiness or about what is wrong with you; but instead, focus on what is right with Him. It’s easy to approach the throne in worship when you are focusing on the character of God. He IS good, He IS kind, He IS worthy of all our praise!
“Ascribe to the Lord the glory due His name; bring an offering and come before him. Worship the Lord in the splendor of His holiness”. 1 Chronicles 16:29 (NIV).
There is such temptation to write songs about our feelings, our seasons, and the ups and downs of this life. And, in many respects, there is a place for these songs. Yet, what I know is that songs that speak to God’s unchanging nature, His holiness and the ‘glory due to his name’ are songs that seem to shift the atmosphere, and cause our hearts to focus on who HE is, despite our circumstances and once again allow us to take the focus off ourselves and onto Jesus. Worship is about Him and only Him.
I love the thought of the Psalmist in Psalm 45 (NKJV) “My heart is overflowing with a good theme; I recite my composition concerning the King; my tongue is the pen of a ready writer.”
Worship is an overflow of what is going on in our heart. The correlation between what is on our lips and what is in our hearts runs all throughout scripture. What is on our tongues is so critical and if we truly understand worship in our hearts, it will flow from our mouth with great passion and ease.
Salvation comes by confessing with your mouth and believing in your heart that Jesus is Lord.
Psalm 42:1 (NIV) "As the deer pants for streams of water, so my soul pants for you, my God. My soul thirsts for God, for the living God. When can I go and meet with God?”
Salvation is Gods restorative work - and our worship is a partnership with God in that work. Worship has the power to write the story of your life. Just as your soul longs for God, so our worship is outworking our salvation story.
Have you ever walked into a service where there is praise and worship and you can just sense the presence of God? There is something tangible in the atmosphere of a room where people are worshipping in song. And the same way that worship can do that to a room, I believe it can do it to your life.
Psalm 16:7 (AMP) says, “I will bless the Lord, Who has given me counsel; yes, my heart instructs me in the night seasons.”
If we have a worshipping heart, even though naturally speaking we might not have direction, our heart can guide us with wisdom to the courts of our God. In Psalm 142 David is speaking from a desperate place. I believe we can all have ‘night seasons’; seasons when we are in great need of God. Listen here as David changes the very atmosphere of his life by praising God:
“Listen to my cry,
for I am in desperate need;
rescue me from those who pursue me,
for they are too strong for me.
Set me free from my prison,
that I may praise your name.
Then the righteous will surround me
because of your goodness to me.”
‘The righteous shall surround me… ‘ The scripture paints a picture of being surrounded by praising, worshipping people. It is in that environment of worship that David’s soul was brought out of the ‘prison’ he was in. One of the best things you can do when you are in a stressful, hurtful, or desperate situation is WORSHIP!
From the conversation with the woman at the well (John 4), to the cross of Christ, the empty tomb, the upper room, the early church, the Gate called Beautiful - people began to worship Christ as he was revealed to them.
To truly worship in spirit and in truth, we must discover the person of Jesus and have a personal revelation of who he is. True worship comes out of a revelation of the One whom we worship.
Psalm 145:4 (NIV) says, “One generation commends your works to another; they tell of your mighty acts.”
I love watching the youth of today in Praise and Worship. To some, their crazy dancing, spinning, exuberant praise could be seen as irreverent…but to me (as long as it is Christ-centred) it is their over-the-top expression of love and passion for God that keeps church fun!
There is a beautiful reverence that comes from singing the old hymns penned by Wesley and Newton, and yet there is something powerful about new songs and new anthems that are speaking to the here-and-now of our current walk with Christ.
New songs keep church relevant. We can never lead out of what we used to be, but we can only lead out of what we are, who we are and where we are now.
Worship unifies and brings blessing. It’s a stake in the ground, an irrefutable truth, and a testimony to the glory of God.
I’ve seen worship break down walls of divide that have seemed impossible. In recent times, you can see age-old denominational divides that have been set aside for the sake of worship and song. I truly believe that God uses worship, worship leaders and worship teams to go to many places where perhaps as pastors and preachers we may never be invited to.
The walls of Jericho came down as they ‘shouted unto God’ and I believe the same things happen today as walls that were once divisive, crumble as the people of God unite.
Psalm 133 (NKJV) says, “How blessed are those who dwell in unity.”
Our churches must be environments of worship. But most importantly, let us never forget Who it is we worship. We worship a risen and reigning King, a powerful God and a personal Saviour. He is worthy of ALL our praise, ALL our adoration and ALL of our worship. Amen.
Sunday, November 23, 2014
Friday, November 21, 2014
Stop the talk, Start you walk.
"I'd like for us -- the Church -- to stop arguing about grace and start living it."
Robert Morris
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think i have seen and heard enough to know that in the end, it is our true living of grace in action that is the clear indication of how much we believe in it. guilty and learning. xxx
Robert Morris
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think i have seen and heard enough to know that in the end, it is our true living of grace in action that is the clear indication of how much we believe in it. guilty and learning. xxx
Thursday, November 20, 2014
Heart of it all, & at rest...
have realized if my heart is not at rest at a matter, i will completely lay off. when i begin to find that i am not entirely myself, there is not point harboring nor investing over it. having opportunities that be seemingly good at one moment, may continue to reveal something else that perhaps is not beneficial in a longer term. there is balance, and there are also priorities. that is why knowing what you want brings clarity and stability in all things beyond what you may be currently emoting.
least i know, and will still be in the waiting room till Grace calls my number. xxx
Wednesday, November 19, 2014
Tuesday, November 18, 2014
Thursday, November 13, 2014
Wednesday, November 12, 2014
Tuesday, November 11, 2014
Out of the zone, comfort zone that is...
it has been awhile i took a break without travelling out of the country. usually it will be short getaway or a long haul packed with top go sees. as we are half way through november, it has been quite a ride from april. feeling stretched and heavily unmotivated in some areas, i have learnt to make the best out of everything. extremely hard yet unexpectedly possible.
usually the effort level is not high, but it seems it has gone through the roof this year. it is true when said we will be found in areas that are usually out of our comfort zone. dealing with people takes a whole new level of grace, especially the ones whom you honestly do not want to give it to as they are highly unappreciative and a tad mental.
yes, i am human. and yes, i have limits. but, guess He is expanding them on His own and not mine. and whatever the situation, He is our defender, protector and wisdom. in utter surrender mode now, and flowing wherever He leads me. rest is also very present, and security sets in knowing that He is the only One that can make all things possible and provided for.
thought i would receive this rest last weekend through a word, but honestly, it was worship that caught my hearts strings. His voice was as loud as ever, and indeed one is very expectant in seeing it come alive. and it already has actually. i love God moments such as these as it nullifies every self in our bones and pride in our hearts. He truly has us covered.
as things are progressing, i slowly come to realize His marvel plans from the smallest to the greatest. He never misses a thing. and that i can slowly let go to what is becoming... xxx
usually the effort level is not high, but it seems it has gone through the roof this year. it is true when said we will be found in areas that are usually out of our comfort zone. dealing with people takes a whole new level of grace, especially the ones whom you honestly do not want to give it to as they are highly unappreciative and a tad mental.
yes, i am human. and yes, i have limits. but, guess He is expanding them on His own and not mine. and whatever the situation, He is our defender, protector and wisdom. in utter surrender mode now, and flowing wherever He leads me. rest is also very present, and security sets in knowing that He is the only One that can make all things possible and provided for.
thought i would receive this rest last weekend through a word, but honestly, it was worship that caught my hearts strings. His voice was as loud as ever, and indeed one is very expectant in seeing it come alive. and it already has actually. i love God moments such as these as it nullifies every self in our bones and pride in our hearts. He truly has us covered.
as things are progressing, i slowly come to realize His marvel plans from the smallest to the greatest. He never misses a thing. and that i can slowly let go to what is becoming... xxx
Monday, November 10, 2014
Sunday, November 9, 2014
Thursday, November 6, 2014
Wednesday, November 5, 2014
It Will Happen, Crash the Chatterbox | Steven Furtick
- God says He will
- Acts 27:9
- The cook needs to eat what he is serving others
- The voice you believe, will determine the future you experience
- 1. Steer by the spirit, and not by your senses
- God will warn you but He will never create worry
- When the enemy threatens you, he will make your faith weaker
- When you ignore God's warnings, you will suffer loss
- If you stir your life by your senses, you will end up in trouble
- Your feelings cannot forecast the future, only God's feelings can
- 2. Fix your focus, and keep up your encourage
- Sometimes you can't fix the situation, but all you can fix is your focus
- Your hope is not suppose to be in the boat
- The reason why the other sailors were so scared is because they were trusting in the boat to get them to the other side
- If there is one thing I know about God, is that my life is in His hands
- Even if the worst case scenario plays out, God will be there when the boat breaks
- Worry is the down payment on a problem that you may never even have
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