I gave this topic to some friends to think about writing a sermon on what they think it means.
I am working on one as well.
As I was pondering this thought, it came to me what the overall theme is going to be in this leg of my life's journey during the year of 2011. It will be again working on developing a life in honoring God and living a holy lifestyle as He is holy.
I did this leg once before when I first started my journey. I have my notes somewhere and I'm sure there are some friends that since I'm brought up this task of writing a sermon on Holiness will dig it out somewhere and remind me of it :)
I want to pay a short tribute to this group of ladies. We've been part of a message board for the past six years and we've become close. Several have met already and I've met a couple over the years. We do have a genuine friendship even though we've met through online through our friendships of those we met in person. (If that makes sense!)
I started doing my journeys with these ladies and they encouraged me along the way. They were interactive journeys where I wanted us all to participate in them and we all learn together. They were a major part of what I've been learning over the years and I thank them for their love and support even though some are still scratching their heads over my antics. Love you Selah and WOF ladies!
I say this because as close as we are, I am always afraid that what I learn I may step on toes along the way and I hope that they know that's really intentional :)
So as I begin to mull over what to do to start 2011 I am sorting out my items I need.
First is God's word. Its essential to have with me all the time because it is my reference.
Second, I know that I need to change some things healthwise. I usually go on a 40 Daniel Fast every year at the begining of the year, praying for my city also. So I know how the first 50 days are going.
Third, my house (both spiritually and physically) needs to be in order. We've been gathering the last several months and collecting and its time to start tossing and make room for things that need to stay. God has blessed us with a living room and a family room settings that I've been imagining for years.
Fourth, I do plan on making an organized schedule. That is hard for me as I feel like I've got a stick up my butt (excuse the phrase but that's how I see it!) when I start sticking to the schedule and then have to defend what I'm doing. I thought once my daughter was raised and out of the house, I could be a bit of a free spirit but I look where that's got me in the last year and its time to buckle down.
I've kind of started one with Yahoo as it sends me reminders and I've been deleting them. I have to stop that.
So here's to 2011!
Sunday, December 19, 2010
Going back to 50 day journeys
Last year at this time during a prayertime I felt the Lord was calling me to do a one year journey instead of doing seven 50 day journeys like I had been.
As I look back on this year, I can see why it was a year long journey. I've expanded my territory beyond the American borders, I've been to a Carmen concert and several other things have taken place that shows that a year long journey was a good thing to do.
On the other end as I look around even though Spiritually things are in order for the most part, other areas in my life are out of control.
While in Uganda, I chose to only wear one skirt with one of two t-shirts that were provided by Hope 4 kids. I wanted to know while in another culture what it would be like to only have one outfit to wear every day for the next 12 days. I did change for church the first Sunday but stayed true to my commitment for the rest of the time. Did I make a change? Only in myself.
As I went through my closet many times since coming home and my dresser drawers I've been almost ashamed as to how much I have to wear and to choose from on a daily basis. As I do laundry and find the hamper half full of clothes that are mine, (we have the heat turned down so I'm usually wearing two sweatshirts and a long sleeve shirt daily), my heart breaks that I know I have way too much.
Even rooms in my house are so cluttered because we are trying to downsize our home yet, we don't know what to do with what we have. We clean out one room, but store all that was in that room in another room that is off limits to guests who enter.
During the year I had made lists when I had big projects coming up so I would be organized. They were so helpful in a lot of cases. I was surprised when I put "spend the day with hubby" down for the last Saturday in October before I left for Uganda, I was done with everything for the trip that I had the day free. However, he didn't as he had to work!
I don't know what this year will bring as my heart is already breaking as events have taken place that are only in God's hands.
One other thought on my 50 day journeys that plague my mind as I write this.
In the Bible when you have a field that you have seeded and harvested for 6 years, you have to let it rest for the 7th year. I've been doing 50 day journeys for 6 years prior to last year. It was a good rest, but now its time to plow the field again for another season.
As I look back on this year, I can see why it was a year long journey. I've expanded my territory beyond the American borders, I've been to a Carmen concert and several other things have taken place that shows that a year long journey was a good thing to do.
On the other end as I look around even though Spiritually things are in order for the most part, other areas in my life are out of control.
While in Uganda, I chose to only wear one skirt with one of two t-shirts that were provided by Hope 4 kids. I wanted to know while in another culture what it would be like to only have one outfit to wear every day for the next 12 days. I did change for church the first Sunday but stayed true to my commitment for the rest of the time. Did I make a change? Only in myself.
As I went through my closet many times since coming home and my dresser drawers I've been almost ashamed as to how much I have to wear and to choose from on a daily basis. As I do laundry and find the hamper half full of clothes that are mine, (we have the heat turned down so I'm usually wearing two sweatshirts and a long sleeve shirt daily), my heart breaks that I know I have way too much.
Even rooms in my house are so cluttered because we are trying to downsize our home yet, we don't know what to do with what we have. We clean out one room, but store all that was in that room in another room that is off limits to guests who enter.
During the year I had made lists when I had big projects coming up so I would be organized. They were so helpful in a lot of cases. I was surprised when I put "spend the day with hubby" down for the last Saturday in October before I left for Uganda, I was done with everything for the trip that I had the day free. However, he didn't as he had to work!
I don't know what this year will bring as my heart is already breaking as events have taken place that are only in God's hands.
One other thought on my 50 day journeys that plague my mind as I write this.
In the Bible when you have a field that you have seeded and harvested for 6 years, you have to let it rest for the 7th year. I've been doing 50 day journeys for 6 years prior to last year. It was a good rest, but now its time to plow the field again for another season.
Sunday, December 12, 2010
My definition of Praise and Worshp
Praise and worship is a lifestyle that requires obedience. It is something that takes control of your life as a Christian because you belong to Christ. It is our thoughts, our words and our deed. Everything we do needs to be in praise to God.
When I get to this thought and meditate on it, sometimes I think I am getting to where God wants to meet me, and then I forget what it is that I am doing or thinking.
I used to think that those that were in certian denominate with "guidelines" had it right. Women wear only dresses at all times, the only book you read is the Bible and you don’t go to movies, bars or anything that would cause you to stumble. You sing only the old hymns because they have meat in their words. Yet, when I look at that type of lifestyle, and it does become a lifestyle to a point, it is very hard to obtain. There are too many rules and it becomes more of a religous lifestyle.
When giving praise and worship to God there is only one rule. Concentrate on Him. Our eyes need to be on only Him. Don’t worry about the bills; He already knows how the money will be there to pay them. Don’t worry about your family. When your eyes are on Him, He will take care of them. Don’t worry about what others may think even if they saw you do something the week before that was not right. They don’t know what your heart is right now and God will take care of that situation.
There was a time when I was in ministry that I had not put Him on the throne and worried about everything else and tried to do it on my own trying to prove myself. I know that God dismissed me from the ministry because for a time I had dismissed Him from the throne in that ministry.
I needed to find a job after the ministry ended or we were going to have to move back to Medford. I would be willing to work in a restaurant because I knew from the first day that we moved here on August 16th 1998, that God wanted us here. So we bought a restaurant and owned it for three years. I felt like Nebuchadnezzar at this time and looked more like him with my scraggly hair, blood shot eyes due to lack of sleep, not to mention that anything I said didn’t make sense at all. Like Neb, God was working in my life, getting me back to where He wanted me to be to put Him in my life where He is in the throne.
During this time God took me on a journey on learning the 7 different ways to praise. I had first heard Carmen’s song about “The 7 ways 2 Praise” 10 years ago and again heard about the seven ways to praise at a local women’s conference. I also bought a book by David Jeremiah called “The Wonder of Worship.” My goal: to change my thoughts and my actions to a point that it would be an act of praise and worship to God
I started my journey by writing down the different Hebrew words for praise and their meaning. Halal means to celebrate and to boast, Shabach means to shout when in the depths of despair, mustering up praise to Him (I was here more often the all seven during this journey), Zamar is using instruments, music, and dancing, Barak is blessing, and bowing, Todah is thanksgiving by the use of extending our hands, (I believe this is by clapping and by serving others) And Yodah is the raising and extending of the hands. Tehillah is the use of all seven during a time of praise and worship.
There were times when I could see that really God had not given me the Neb curse, but too often then not I opt to believe it. But when the year after I had studied this had ended, a new journey had began of putting to practice what it means to really praise Him, with all of the seven ways.
Praise and worship is every part of the service whether it is in the music, praying, offering or sermon. Because it is an audience of One, and its what is in our hearts that we are giving back to Him. It continues when we leave the front doors of the church behind us and continue in what we say, do or think as we walk in the world. And it becomes a lifestyle of obedience that we submitted to trusting in Him. He is a God who loves us and deserves continual worship on earth as He is receiving it also continually in Heaven.
It’s a never ending journey in learning how to put this into practice in our daily lives. We are constantly bombarded with things or the world because we are living in the world. Just recently I found myself in a place where I again was doing something to prove to someone that I knew I was capable of doing something and that even though God had shown me that I was capable, I didn't need to prove it to anyone on earth.
Praise and worship is a lifestyle of honoring God by being obedient to Him in all things that we think, say or do. That’s because He is a Holy God, creating us to be His holy people.
When I get to this thought and meditate on it, sometimes I think I am getting to where God wants to meet me, and then I forget what it is that I am doing or thinking.
I used to think that those that were in certian denominate with "guidelines" had it right. Women wear only dresses at all times, the only book you read is the Bible and you don’t go to movies, bars or anything that would cause you to stumble. You sing only the old hymns because they have meat in their words. Yet, when I look at that type of lifestyle, and it does become a lifestyle to a point, it is very hard to obtain. There are too many rules and it becomes more of a religous lifestyle.
When giving praise and worship to God there is only one rule. Concentrate on Him. Our eyes need to be on only Him. Don’t worry about the bills; He already knows how the money will be there to pay them. Don’t worry about your family. When your eyes are on Him, He will take care of them. Don’t worry about what others may think even if they saw you do something the week before that was not right. They don’t know what your heart is right now and God will take care of that situation.
There was a time when I was in ministry that I had not put Him on the throne and worried about everything else and tried to do it on my own trying to prove myself. I know that God dismissed me from the ministry because for a time I had dismissed Him from the throne in that ministry.
I needed to find a job after the ministry ended or we were going to have to move back to Medford. I would be willing to work in a restaurant because I knew from the first day that we moved here on August 16th 1998, that God wanted us here. So we bought a restaurant and owned it for three years. I felt like Nebuchadnezzar at this time and looked more like him with my scraggly hair, blood shot eyes due to lack of sleep, not to mention that anything I said didn’t make sense at all. Like Neb, God was working in my life, getting me back to where He wanted me to be to put Him in my life where He is in the throne.
During this time God took me on a journey on learning the 7 different ways to praise. I had first heard Carmen’s song about “The 7 ways 2 Praise” 10 years ago and again heard about the seven ways to praise at a local women’s conference. I also bought a book by David Jeremiah called “The Wonder of Worship.” My goal: to change my thoughts and my actions to a point that it would be an act of praise and worship to God
I started my journey by writing down the different Hebrew words for praise and their meaning. Halal means to celebrate and to boast, Shabach means to shout when in the depths of despair, mustering up praise to Him (I was here more often the all seven during this journey), Zamar is using instruments, music, and dancing, Barak is blessing, and bowing, Todah is thanksgiving by the use of extending our hands, (I believe this is by clapping and by serving others) And Yodah is the raising and extending of the hands. Tehillah is the use of all seven during a time of praise and worship.
There were times when I could see that really God had not given me the Neb curse, but too often then not I opt to believe it. But when the year after I had studied this had ended, a new journey had began of putting to practice what it means to really praise Him, with all of the seven ways.
Praise and worship is every part of the service whether it is in the music, praying, offering or sermon. Because it is an audience of One, and its what is in our hearts that we are giving back to Him. It continues when we leave the front doors of the church behind us and continue in what we say, do or think as we walk in the world. And it becomes a lifestyle of obedience that we submitted to trusting in Him. He is a God who loves us and deserves continual worship on earth as He is receiving it also continually in Heaven.
It’s a never ending journey in learning how to put this into practice in our daily lives. We are constantly bombarded with things or the world because we are living in the world. Just recently I found myself in a place where I again was doing something to prove to someone that I knew I was capable of doing something and that even though God had shown me that I was capable, I didn't need to prove it to anyone on earth.
Praise and worship is a lifestyle of honoring God by being obedient to Him in all things that we think, say or do. That’s because He is a Holy God, creating us to be His holy people.
Monday, December 6, 2010
In memory of a good friend
I only have a minute to share-
I have pics uploaded on Fb with my african trip and will post my journal here when I can.
Today I am attending a memorial service of a good friend. I met her when she came to town about 3 years ago. A strong woman in her faith in Christ.
As I got to know her I saw how our she was to be a mentor for me in areas that God was teaching me as she had learned them herself. I didn't understand this position that she had when I first met her and didn't submit to it at first. As time went by I began to see that what she had been through was what God was showing me that I needed to learn.
Last year we talked about the journey God was putting me on (or so I thought!), about studying the Charismatic Prayer movement for the past 2000 years. She had done a personal study on her own and it was awesome to talk with her the few times we were able to meet.
We were in the same bible study together with Biblical Foundations of Freedom and I know she had problems with small areas of the book, not doctrinal issues but small grievances of personal differences. But she came when she was able to combat her illness.
Her spirit sang everytime we got together of love and joy and how much God loved us and cherished us. There was a word that she used one time that we don't use often enough and for weeks several of us had discussed it throughout our Wednesday night bible study and in our women's study.
The word is "revere". Reverance to our God. I knew this affected her greatly that we revere the one who created us. We honor Him that is Holy.
Yesterday our pastor did a short sermon on the definition of Holy, Redeemed and Sanctified. I think Kay was looking down and smiling as we were sharing yesterday our thoughts on these three words knowing we would come to this thought:
God is Holy, He redeemed us through His Son Jesus Christ, and we are sanctified (set apart from the world) through the blood that Jesus shed.
I have pics uploaded on Fb with my african trip and will post my journal here when I can.
Today I am attending a memorial service of a good friend. I met her when she came to town about 3 years ago. A strong woman in her faith in Christ.
As I got to know her I saw how our she was to be a mentor for me in areas that God was teaching me as she had learned them herself. I didn't understand this position that she had when I first met her and didn't submit to it at first. As time went by I began to see that what she had been through was what God was showing me that I needed to learn.
Last year we talked about the journey God was putting me on (or so I thought!), about studying the Charismatic Prayer movement for the past 2000 years. She had done a personal study on her own and it was awesome to talk with her the few times we were able to meet.
We were in the same bible study together with Biblical Foundations of Freedom and I know she had problems with small areas of the book, not doctrinal issues but small grievances of personal differences. But she came when she was able to combat her illness.
Her spirit sang everytime we got together of love and joy and how much God loved us and cherished us. There was a word that she used one time that we don't use often enough and for weeks several of us had discussed it throughout our Wednesday night bible study and in our women's study.
The word is "revere". Reverance to our God. I knew this affected her greatly that we revere the one who created us. We honor Him that is Holy.
Yesterday our pastor did a short sermon on the definition of Holy, Redeemed and Sanctified. I think Kay was looking down and smiling as we were sharing yesterday our thoughts on these three words knowing we would come to this thought:
God is Holy, He redeemed us through His Son Jesus Christ, and we are sanctified (set apart from the world) through the blood that Jesus shed.
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