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.

The other thing that happened this weekend is that God did some really cool stuff at The Word at Shaw this weekend. We were still sort of reeling from the Sunday of service on the 11th. Our community really loved having a church come in and serve in a practical way. This week we unleashed a flurry of new things on our church all at the same time. I was worried that it was going to implode. We launched a new service format. We also starting using a bulletin type thing as people have constantly asked for something to write notes on as well as something with important dates that they could keep. From a behind the scenes standpoint, we launched a new position called service producer that helped things go a lot more smoothly than normal. The best part? I wasn’t doing it all! We started our early morning Bible Study and, even though there was the normal first day confusion, things went pretty well. So there were a lot of moving parts Sunday morning and I was afraid that chaos was going to break out. But God did something marvelous. He brought a calm to the situation that I can not explain. Everyone found the same groove and sat right there in it. Then something awesome happened…

After the second song set the guy scheduled to pray got up and just opened his heart to the congregation. He said that he had a really tough week and it was comforting to know that God was working for our good (we had just finished singing Your Love Never Fails). So he turned to me and asked me to just lead us in that part again and let that be our prayer. So the church went back into that bridge and you could see people really start to embrace that line and this special moment of worship happened. I think we could have let that happen for the rest of the day and no one would have cared. What was special for me was that, in the midst of all the changes and structure that was finally created, God came and did what he wanted to with it. I LOVE when that happens.

Sometimes you can make all the plans in the world. Everything could be going just so smooth in your own mind and then God comes in and does what He wants to do. And then you just have to shake your head. Because then you remember that He’s the one that’s really in control. And even though we make our own plans, we are reminded that our ways and His ways aren’t the same. And that’s okay.

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.

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.

The thing that struck me as odd and wonderful was that when I was so focused on trying to do what I wanted to do, I ended up doing things that caused me to pay more attention to God and His details in my life. I noticed that my daughters are growing up so fast and even though I’m with them pretty frequently I’m still missing stuff. I noticed that my wife is an extremely gorgeous pregnant woman. This was evident with our first two girls, but it’s been almost 6 years. I noticed that I can focus on things when my brain isn’t so scattered. I noticed that my wife has been working terribly hard to get our house ready for this new baby and it’s coming along quite nicely. I noticed that it’s next to impossible to keep your car clean when your driveway is under a power line. Overall, I noticed that God is truly wonderful and this life is truly a gift. He doesn’t have to give us anything that He gives us on this earth, but He does anyway. That, my friends, is wonderful to me. I didn’t deserve the beautiful day with my family that I had because I spent most of the morning try to get out of it. But I was given the chance anyway. I’m glad I took it.

Have you ever stopped to think about the purpose of your quiet times and devotions? Have you built yourself into a rut because this is something that you are ‘supposed’ to do? Or are your times spent with God purposeful and meaningful and special where you go expecting to hear from Him and you expect to be led? I’ve been on both sides and I tell you, I love being in the place where that time is special and meaningful. I had just dealt with this and I thought that I’d put this thought in your heads as well…

Now, I thought about taking the simple road and going into how God uses us as His broken instruments and uses us for His glory all the time, but I think that was something that EVERYONE could see coming. So I’ve decided to take a different approach. My question is this. Why is it that when things are working well we can say things like this, but when we are in the midst of trials we seem to forget that God loves us and continues to work in and through us? I have been dealing with a lot of struggles in my life over the past few days and I’ve felt useless. However, I’m the same one who is constantly trying to help others realize that God loves them no matter what. Sometimes it feels hypocritical to say when sometimes I find difficulty in believing it myself.

I think what I and we have to realize is that we are ALWAYS broken instruments. Surely, there are times that we are more broken than others, but at the end of the day, we’re still broken because we’re still flawed. At our best we still have a major defect. The difference between us and that piano that I played over 16 years ago was the one making up the difference. I know that I did the best I could with that old upright Hamilton, and I know for sure I could have worked around it even better today. But even now, there is only so much I can do in my own power. My life is way more jacked up than that piano sometimes and God uses this life of mine and makes it look so much better because He is filling in the gaps.

So what brought on this whole thought for me? Well simply enough, I got to lead worship in chapel at Missouri Baptist yesterday and the drool producing Yamaha that is in the auditorium. That piano is ALWAYS right and I love it. I started thinking about all the bad pianos I’ve played and the rest is written up there. Have you ever played an instrument that was so bad that you didn’t know what to do with it? Has anyone given you their guitar to play and when you started you felt like it had never been tuned before? Share with me your bad instrument stories.

Who am I, that you would love me so gently? Who am I, that you would recognize my name? Who am I, that you would speak to me so softly? Conversations with the Love Most High… Who am I?

-Nathan and Christy

I love the words to this song. I could end there, but that would be a totally lame blog and wouldn’t blame any of you for never reading anything I write ever again. But this chorus speaks so many things into my life and whenever I hear it I’m challenged to worship my Creator. This concept is so far beyond anything that I can really understand. I don’t know why He loves me so much. I’m just glad that He does. Here’s what I know, anyone that loves each and every person THAT much is worth my worship.

The Lord’s unfailing, unconditional love the most pure thing this world will ever know. More precious than silver, more costly than gold (bringing back the old school…). Sometimes I overlook just how much the Father loves me. Even when I’m looking at the Word that He gave specifically for us I tend to look past the fact that the Word was given because we are loved. When I think about that, I’m more inclined to spend some time with my God. The time that I spend ‘Encountering the Savior’ becomes a little more sweeter.

Are you overlooking the real, true love that the Father has for you? Are you spending quality time with the Father? Or are you fulfilling your daily duty? I know I’ve done that…

Woe to those who are at ease in Zion, and to those who feel secure on the mountain of Samaria, the notable men of the first of the nations, to whom the house of Israel comes! …O you who put far away the day of disaster and bring near the seat of violence. Woe to those who lie on beds of ivory and stretch themselves out on their couches, and eat lambs from the flock and calves from the midst of the stall, who sing idle songs to the sound of the harp and like David invent for themselves instruments of music, who drink wine in bowls and anoint themselves with the finest oils, but are not grieved over the ruin of Joseph!

Amos 6:1-6

I was sitting in a Sunday school class this pass Sunday when they started their lesson on this passage. The lesson was on social justice this passage was discussed in many different ways. I was impacted by these words and wrote them down with the idea that I would write about them now. So that’s what I’m doing.

As I sit here this morning getting ready to start this ridiculously long day, I think about just how much time I spend ‘stretched out on the couch’. So much time gets spent with us trying to relax or doing the things that we want to do. I also think about those of us who spend time trying to emulate people that we see on TV and wanting to have what they have. We would never say it, but when we obsess about all these things and toys and cars and such, we are making them our idols; our God. I say we because I am guilty of this as well. I have been obsessing about some music software and it has clouded my thinking as far as the rest of the world goes. I have cared so much about this and other things including this current holiday that I have ‘put far away the day of disaster’. I haven’t spent much time caring about what’s going on in the world. It’s times like these that when I need a new God. That doesn’t mean that the God of this universe, the Savior of the world needs replacing. It means that I have replaced that God with all of the earthly things that I obsess about. I need to turn my focus back to who God is and what He has done.

I watched this happen to me this past week. Because I haven’t led worship for a church in quite awhile, I hadn’t focused much on reading or doing any of the things that I normally do to keep my mind sharp. It took me a LOT longer than it normally does to put together a worship set because I was so out of ‘practice’. I have had to do my share of ‘Encountering the Savior’ lately.

The question…is there anything out there that has taken the place of God in your own life? Is it money or the pursuit of it? Is it trying to find a better job? Is it trying to find the perfect guy or girl? Will any of these things better your life in a way that God can not?

Here are some things that are going on, and then I’m gonna share a thought from yesterday. First, I’m going to be recording a radio spot for KSIV (local radio station) talking about what worship180 is. That was scary because I hadn’t quite put that all together in a way that I could share with radio listeners. So I had to figure that out this weekend. With the help of some friends, we came up with an idea and a mission statement. I’m gonna share it with you now. Worship180 is a consulting firm that exists to train leaders and build worship ministries by teaching churches and individuals to Encounter the Savior, Enrich their Community and Engage the world. So I’m working with that idea in my head now. So I guess that means that I’m starting worship consulting. I am personally not completely sold on the consulting word because I think it bottles up what I do and who I am. I’m still working on that. Anyway, I’m excited about the opportunity to figure out just how effective this idea will be with churches and people in the area. A bit of market research, if you will… That’s a prayer point, btw

So my idea for the day.

Open to me the gates of righteousness, that I may enter through them and give thanks to the Lord. This gate of the Lord; the righteous shall enter through it. I thank you that you have answered me and have become my salvation. The stone that the builders rejected has become the cornerstone. This is the Lord’s doing; it is marvelous in our eyes. This is the day that the Lord has made; let us rejoice and be glad in it.

Psalm 118:19-24

I read this passage at the church that I led worship for yesterday. It has been a staple in my father’s church for quite a while. I can remember my Aunt Barbara making the whole church memorize it so we could internalize this message. It has been stuck in my heart and mind for years. But I can honestly say that it had become a routine and some of the message has been lost. We all keep the last verse and say it all the time. But the verse that seemed to stick out to me this weekend was verse 23. “This is the Lord’s doing; it is marvelous in our eyes” That is such a key verse for me. With all the things that I have gone through in my life over the past few months it’s hard to see that this is the Lord’s doing. But if I only look at the tough or bad things, it’s easy to feel that way. In reality, He’s also done so many great things and has sustained my family.

As you are going through the challenges of life, are you able to keep in mind that this is the Lord’s doing? I know I’ve had a tough time doing that. I’m thinking that maybe it’s time for me to get back to the basics…