You roll over and see that it’s 3:41 in the morning. You do not want to be up at 3:41 in the morning. However, you really have to go to the bathroom. But the bed feels so good and you are enjoying your rest. So you roll back over and try to sleep through it. But you just toss and turn for a little while longer. You decide to go ahead and get up and get it over with so you can get back in the bed. After you’re done, you get back in the bed and begin what I believe is the best sleep you will ever get. You lay there and, just as you start to fall asleep, your alarm goes off. Why? Because you laid there rolling around in the dark having to pee for almost 3 hours. You missed the fullness of that sleep because of something you thought was better.

How many times have we done this with God? There’s something so much better on the other side of God’s promise, but we think that nothing can get better than where we are. Then the thing we were holding on to starts to not seem as good because the struggle kicks in. We toss and turn and fight, but it’s not enough to get the pain of the struggle to go away. Eventually it starts to overtake us until we realize that we can’t handle that pressure. At that point we finally decide to let God do his thing. We give up and let it go. It’s then that we understand that what God has for us is so much better than what we were holding on to.

There’s something so difficult about faith in today’s world. We work so hard to hold on to the tangible to the point of exclusion of Hebrews 11:1 and the things that we can’t see. More than ever, we need to be able to have faith that God will get us through the trials in this life. God is doing His job to get us to see that there is nothing here that we can see or hold on to that will comfort us better than He can. He wants us to enjoy the rest that will eventually come after we let go, allow Him to work through the struggle for us and come out on the other side. So what’s it going to take for you to get up and go to the bathroom?

Just in case you forgot, I don’t always get it right. Actually, more times than not I get it horribly wrong. But then there are sometimes that things couldn’t go any worse even if you wrote the script for the new Meet the GrandFockers movie for Ben Stiller (that’s not a real upcoming movie. I made that up). It is times like these that make you wonder why it is you do what you do everyday. Am I the only one that has had moments like these? I have put together worship sets, scheduled a band and rehearsals, laid everything out for all the team players, given advance notice to everyone that requested it, only to have 2 vocalists get sick, someone forget rehearsal, 3 people changed their emails and didn’t tell me so they never got the memo about the TPS reports (I’m all movie references today), and then Sunday morning half of the board doesn’t work.

Looking at that situation as it stands, it would be easy to just chalk up a week like this one as a loss. I’ve wanted to do that many times. But it’s times like these that God steps in and does what He was always planning to do. There’s no way to know just how He is going to work, but His work is ALWAYS evident. Something that hit me earlier today. I was writing out some plans on my big board and realized that when God is in the plans. It isn’t like that I didn’t know that already, but people frequently talk about how when I stepped out of the way then God stepped in. Well, my words of wisdom for today is that we (myself included) should be including God earlier in the process. Whenever I spend the time to ask God what He wants me to do before I even start planning, I find that even the planning process goes much better. Then when I get to the end and look back, I can see His hand through the whole thing. Sometimes I may want this huge band, and God wants to break things down to where we are forced to let Him fill in the voids created by silence. Sometimes, He wants to use that still, small voice to firmly guide us toward the cross.

We always look to the famous passage about God’s plans for us (Jeremiah 29:11) because it talks about our prospering and having a hope and future and all that fun stuff. But the plans won’t just pop into your lap as you’re walking down the street. The verses that follow give verse 11 something to stand on. When I go and pray to Him, He will come to me. If I go and seek Him with my whole heart, He will come and find me (my paraphrase of verses 12-13). When I’m planning out my services, I have to seek God out in THAT stage, then even those plans will be revealed as I work. When you are in the beginning stages of a plan or idea, add God then. See how much of the back end crazy gets avoided when you do that…

11 And he said, “Go out and stand on the mount before the Lord.” And behold, the Lord passed by, and a great and strong wind tore the mountains and broke in pieces the rocks before the Lord, but the Lord was not in the wind. And after the wind an earthquake, but the Lord was not in the earthquake.12 And after the earthquake a fire, but the Lord was not in the fire. And after the fire the sound of a low whisper.

This passage is taken from 1 Kings. It’s the story of the well known prophet Elijah. He had just finished making the prophets of Baal look stupid and everyone was trying to kill him. Jezebel had even sent word that she was looking for him. I won’t go into the WHOLE story, but the passage up above comes when the Lord speaks to Elijah while he is in a cave. I was looking through this passage when something hit me. This still, small voice packed a punch.

When I was younger, this passage was used for many sermon wrap ups. As the preacher was winding down and “bringing it to a close” they would always mention how God doesn’t always come in the fire and God doesn’t always come in the earthquake, but in a “stiiiiiiiiillll…..small voice…” Then the church would go crazy and the music would start. The inference was always that we were looking for God to do that miracle so we would know He was there, but sometimes it was when we were quiet that He was speak to us and would bless us that way. And that made sense, especially since we were all looking for our blessing. Or something like that. It wasn’t until I was much older that I realized that this whole passage is wrapped in controversy. And that this still, small voice just told Elijah to handle some folks. I don’t know about you, but that doesn’t sound like a whole lot of fun is coming his way. So I got to thinking…am I the only one who was led to believe that the still, small voice was there for my blessings only? So I ask that question to you readers. This is an interesting situation to me. The older I get and the more I study and listen to people, I realize that we leave things out sometimes, or we will ‘adjust’ a scripture to make it fit a subject. Sometimes during that process we end up changing what was originally said which, in case you were wondering, is in fact wrong. This one is a little bit different in the fact that they didn’t change anything, they left things out. That silly omission. I challenge you to read the whole story because you will in fact see that the still, small voice brought a punch.

God has no problem getting our attention. He can definitely use fires and earthquakes and tornadoes. But sometimes, He needs us to really listen. There are times when I have to sit my kids down and give them instruction. When I get to something that I really want them to grasp, I get as close to them as I can and do my best to clear all distractions. I want to make sure that we are on the same page. When God speaks softly for the same reason. He wants us to be free of distractions. That doesn’t mean that everything He says is sweet and lovely and warm fuzzy. It just means, “Listen close. Don’t jack this up!” What comes after that is something you better pay close attention to. Write it down.

What is God trying to tell you? Are you not getting it because you’re expecting the small voice to contain sweet messages of happiness and chocolate? Make sure to give Him your full attention. Listen closely. You do NOT want to miss that message.

So, this will be the first TMQ (Tuesday Morning Quarterback) post that will have nothing to do with football because I didn’t watch any games on Sunday or Monday. Before you blast me out of the man cave, this was a rather unique weekend for me and so sometimes things have to take a back seat. And when your family is not accustomed to that being a regular thing, you have to go with the family. Anyway, I have still have something to share and it fits, so I’m using it.

Last night while watching the elimination portion of my favorite show, The Sing Off, something popped into my head. One of the groups that was in the last 2 (and the one that ultimately lost) was one that I expected to be there. However, the other part of the duo, I didn’t expect to see there for a while if ever. They are a powerhouse group of female vocalists who can blow the roof off. But in last night’s episode, they broke one of the big rules in music. They didn’t pick a song that they could sing. They changed their approach to the show and it almost cost them. They went for the cute factor and completely left behind the fact that as a group they probably have the strongest voices in the show every time they step on the stage. In a vocal competition that is so strong with a myriad of amazing groups, you have to lay it all on the line on every opportunity. They didn’t do that and they almost were sent packing.

Sunday, during our opener I had an idea that I thought was going to be a good one, but it sort of fell flat because I didn’t go all in and execute it they way I wanted to. I ended up being mad because about it because I thought it could have been a powerful moment that wasn’t because of me. So as I sit in my TMQ chair writing this, I know one of the things that was missing in this week’s service was me giving everything I had. The thing that is hard for me and should be hard for anyone in my situation is because, unlike the girls of Delilah, I didn’t give my all during a church service when I was supposed to be giving my all to the Father. How many times do we go throughout a day or week and not give our all? How many times can you look back and say “Man, this would have been better had I been able to give all to it”? After Sunday, I have decided that I don’t want to do that anymore. I don’t want to have to look back and say “I wish”. I had almost forgotten about how bad Sunday was until I was reminded during the show last night. Interesting how that works…

I will leave you today with the words of a hymn by Elisha A. Hoffman.

You have longed for sweet peace,
And for faith to increase,
And have earnestly, fervently prayed;
But you cannot have rest,
Or be perfectly blest,
Until all on the altar is laid.

Refrain

Is your all on the altar of sacrifice laid?
Your heart does the Spirit control?
You can only be blest,
And have peace and sweet rest,
As you yield Him your body and soul.

Would you walk with the Lord,
In the light of His Word,
And have peace and contentment alway?
You must do His sweet will,
To be free from all ill,
On the altar your all you must lay.

Refrain

O we never can know
What the Lord will bestow
Of the blessings for which we have prayed,
Till our body and soul
He doth fully control,
And our all on the altar is laid.

Refrain

Who can tell all the love
He will send from above,
And how happy our hearts will be made,
Of the fellowship sweet
We shall share at His feet,
When our all on the altar is laid.

As I sit in the balcony of the sanctuary here at The Word, I’m getting some perspective that I rarely get. I never come up here just because. I’m usually on my way to or just leaving the tech booth for one reason or another. But this morning I am sitting up here taking in the sight of the stage and the chairs below. No lights or screens or speakers on. Just the light coming in through the stained glass on either side. I see the aftermath on the stage of last night’s rehearsal. I feel the air that hasn’t be switched over to heat yet (don’t worry, it will get switched LOL) I also get to notice the beauty of this room. The contemporary feel of the colors and the enhancements to the stage. The 14 foot screen hanging on the back wall. I also see the old beauty of the wood beams in the ceiling and the pendant lights that are still hanging. And of course, the gorgeous windows that tell us who God is.

What’s the significance of this today more than any other day? None really. But the fact that I’m able to sit here and describe in detail what I’m seeing from up here means that I have been able to take some time and soak in my surroundings. This morning when I woke up I was raring to go. Then I slowed it down and then I was able to notice that it was 46 degrees when I walked out the house to get Starbucks for my wife (something she’d NEVER do for herself). That crisp air that I personally love so much was there and it was wonderful. I was able to gain some focus on my day and really sort of listen to what God was going to say and not so much go for what I know.

Today I am able to see the blessing in what God has given me lately. I’m able to let Him lead me. Even better, I’ve been alone with myself in the quiet for well over an hour. No music. No real conversation. Nothing but me and the thoughts in my head. And The God in my heart. I will tell you, this has been a cool morning. I’m glad to have had this time. Once this gets posted, I have to go and adjust my schedule. I believe I double booked myself at least 3 times next week. Way to go, Harry. Way to go…

Have you ever taken a dance class or watched two people dance together? Isn’t it amazing when two people know what they are doing and they just seem to glide across the floor with amazing beauty? Have you ever seen two people who don’t really know what they are doing? Isn’t it amazing just how awkward two people can look together as they create a treacherous sense of disharmony in movement? I have actually seen two people bump teeth while trying to execute a dance. I think that may be one of the more arduous visuals I have had the ‘privilege of experiencing.

Sometimes we try to take the lead in our own lives because we think we know the way. We try to guide the Father around the floor in an uptempo Broadway routine when he really wants to glide us gracefully through a waltz. He has a perfectly crafted plan for you, but you have to let Him lead the way. This is not one of those stories where I tell you that everything will be smooth sailing if you let him lead and all bumps and horror if you try to do it yourself. There are definitely bumps on the road as you follow Christ as well. However, when you are trying to lead and guide yourself then it’s like doing a dance you’ve never done while wearing a blindfold. You will probably fall or bump into something or someone. 

In this walk with Christ there’s only one person who knows the way. When we try to run out ahead of the leader we fall into traps and get stuck in ugly predicaments. I believe that’s the significance of Psalm 119:105 when he says he’s a lamp to our feet and light to our path. We only need to know where to step next. We have to trust that he’s going to lead us the right way. The same with a dance. You have to trust that your partner is leading you to where you both need to be in the dance. If you don’t do that and consequently try to go in a different direction you will find it increasingly more difficult to execute the dance and stay on your feet. If you aren’t aware, falling on a dance floor hurts.

I’ve heard it said many times before that it is always good to share your vision on a regular basis. I have seen the importance of this many times. I don’t think I’ve been the vision caster in the same way until this week. I have been thinking and praying a lot this week about the direction of the worship design team that I created at my church. That have been a hard working bunch, but I really felt like we needed to take some time and refocus ourselves on our goal and purpose. As I have worked through those things in my heart I came to the conclusion that I should revisit my focus for everything that I do, including writing this blog. So I thought I would take the rest of the week and put back into focus the vision for why I write this.

When I originally came up with the idea for worship180 I wanted to share my endless pursuit of true worship. And I just sounded like a Lexus commercial. Anyway, I didn’t think that it was any different from other people’s desire for worship, but I thought that maybe it would be a spin that someone hadn’t thought of before. I knew that I wanted to experience worship that wasn’t about who I am or how good I can sing or play an instrument. I wanted it to be all about the all around relationship between me and God, me and the people I worship with and lastly me and the people that might not understand what worship really is. So I thought about how that would look and what that would truly mean if I tried to do that each and every day. I knew that my first tier of this thing had to be my relationship with Christ. That’s why the first part of the vision is Encounter the Savior. There’s no way to really worship without knowing who you’re worshiping. So I know that I have to continuously seek the Kingdom of God. That automatically changed my approach to what I do. My approach to my job changed. I added a different element to how I prepared for a worship set as well as Sunday morning. When you start to seek God you quickly learn how much you were thinking about yourself. A shift has to happen pretty quickly or you will find it hard to encounter the Savior. You have to be willing to step out of the way to make room for Him to share His heart with you.

So the question is this. Are you taking time to encounter the Savior in worship? Are you leaving your heart open to what God wants to say to you as you are giving back to him? Have you ever taken this approach into worship? I guess that’s more like 3 questions… If you haven’t had this mindset about worship before now, I would ask you to try it. See what God has in store for you in worship. Sometimes it’s as simple as a change of focus.

I love this statement that I found as I was researching this idea. It’s so funny I’m just going to put it down in here and let you read it before I go on.

The robber ran from the policeman, still holding the money in his hands.
After being whipped fiercely, the cook boiled the egg.
Flitting gaily from flower to flower, the football player watched the bee.

If you said the last sentence to the football player’s face just the way it’s phrased above, you could end up a bloody lump of pulp lying on the astroturf, because he might conclude you think he “flits gaily,” a thing most people in his profession don’t do, at least in public.

From The Writing Guide 2002

Anyway, dangling participles are all about placing action in the wrong place. You see what happens to a sentence when you place the verb in the wrong place, you could end up beaten by a football player. What happens when we direct our actions in the wrong place? People are always searching for that thing. The thing that will make us famous. That thing that will make us a lot of money and create security. We direct our actions towards the things that look, feel and smell good. These motivations more times than not will lead us somewhere we had not set out to go.

That’s why it’s so important have our actions pointed in the right direction. When we place or actions in things that please us first, we tend to lose focus and head the wrong way. “You may think you’re on the right road and still end up dead.” Proverbs 14:12 CEV Our sights should be set on the cross. When Christ is our motivation then things around us can go every which way, but we have a steady focus point. In Philippians 3, Paul writes that he was forgetting the things that had already happened and pressing toward that mark of Christ. When Christ is our motivation, there is no way that we can get misguided. Christ wants to draw us to himself. He wants to bring us in to a place where we can live in freedom with him. When our motivations begin to dangle in other places chaos is created.

What motivates you each day? What is it that gets you out of bed? Is it money or your career? Or is it Christ? You may want to check that out. Your motivation could be misguided.

In music theory, a deceptive cadence occurs when you come to the end of a phrase and when convention tells you the next chord should be one thing something else happens there. You were deceived into thinking that you knew what was coming next. It happens a lot in music and when it does it is generally a dramatic difference.

The same thing happens in our lives all the time. Things are running along smoothly and we do pretty well at knowing what’s going on. Our analysis of a certain situation may be spot on. But then something happens. You get a phone call that reports a tragedy. You walk out of the office to see that your car isn’t where you parked it. You come home to an envelope that has papers that you didn’t want to see. Your child learns one of those painful lessons of teenage heartbreak. Something happens and it rocks your world and takes you somewhere you weren’t expecting to go.

Generally, a deceptive cadence will double back and repeat a portion of the section before en route to ending a song. It also has the ability to take you somewhere completely different and into a new section. We can’t really know what lies ahead around the next corner. We can only know what’s right in front of us. That’s why these types of cadences work. Sometimes they will cause a complete shift in your life. However, sometimes they will just simply lead you in a new direction, a direction you may not have seen before. Don’t be afraid of that direction because there may be something there for you that you may have never noticed.

God is the master conductor who is orchestrating our lives. We may think we know exactly what’s going on and how things are going to work out when change occurs and we aren’t sure how to handle it. It isn’t our job to know. It’s our job to pay attention to the conductor and make sure that we don’t miss our entrance to play. The cadence may be deceptive at first and catch you off guard, but in the end it’s all a part of His song. And we already know how that one ends.

I am continually amazed at how brilliantly written the Bible is! One of my favorite brilliantly written passages is found in John. It looks a little something like this:

I am the true vine, and my Father is the husbandman. Every branch in me that beareth not fruit, he taketh it away: and every branch that beareth fruit, he cleanseth it, that it may bear more fruit. Already ye are clean because of the word which I have spoken unto you. Abide in me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit of itself, except it abide in the vine; so neither can ye, except ye abide in me

John 15:1-4

There is so much truth in this entire passage, but I like to focus on one particular point, especially when I’m feeling really extra good about myself. I remember when this concept first made sense to me. It actually wasn’t that long ago, but it has been pretty life changing ever since. It’s there in verse 2. The first part makes total sense. The branches that aren’t producing get cut off. But it’s the next part that got me. Branches that bear fruit get cut so they can bear MORE fruit. One day I was reading this and it hit me; no matter what I do or how good I am or how well I sing or play piano, I’m gonna get cut, too. That was a big revelation for me. Once I thought about it in the context of being a gardener it made total sense. Even when a plant is doing well and growing, a gardener has to come in a cut some of the plant back to help it flourish and be the most fruitful. Pruning helps a plant get out of its own way. The same thing happens with us. We could be doing well and feel like things are moving right along. Our marriage is great. Our kids are behaving. Our job is good. We are going to church. We might even give a little money. But maybe in all of that we have filled our time up so well that we aren’t really spending time in the Word. We may think we are doing great by fulfilling our weekly duty to attend church. But then something happens that rocks us off the happy boat that we’re on. All of that good stuff is getting in the way of some real growth and even though it all looks good to our eyes, something has to be cut away.

It’s easy to look at a situation where things are going wrong and be able to say what needs to change. That’s way easy. The more difficult cuts happen when things seem to be all good. That’s when the master gardener has to come in and look at things and diagnose what cuts are going to be most beneficial for the plant to continue its growth pattern. For me, it is quite humbling to think about the fact that no matter what happens I’m not above being cut to make room for something even better. I’m never going to be so holy or so righteous to where God will decide that I’m good enough to let grow on my own. However, it helps me to understand my whole place in this situation. I’m not the one in control. And that is totally okay with me. I think about what would happen if I worked at the Missouri Botanical Garden doing this job. Even I can spot something bad and get rid of it when the time comes. But when I go and see something that looks pretty and is growing well, I’m not going to know which ones need to be pruned. I just see pretty colors. But the people who work there know those plants intimately and know exactly what they need to grow and flourish.

The same thing goes for our Father in heaven. He knows exactly what we need to grow. He knows when it’s time to make a cut that will weed out the decaying parts of our lives as well as the parts that are growing well but need some help to be more productive and fruitful. In the end, the thing that meant the most to me manifested itself in this way. It doesn’t matter who you are or what you do, you’re going to get cut. Sometimes it will be meant to root out some of the difficult and useless things in your life. Sometimes it will be meant to help better direct the fruit that you are bearing. But no one is above the shears. No one. And I like it that way.