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Worthy Reads
2007-11-12 14:28:30
Firstly, I’d like to mention that any & all prayers for our church at this time are much needed & appreciated! We may be & are facing changes that even I am unsure about, but only God knows what will truly come, & of course will make this known to us in His perfect timing. (Patience is not one of my strengths!) As for now, here are some ‘worthy reads’ for today: In his Worship Philosophy series, Billy Chia speaks about cultivating relationships with those in your worship ministry: Empower New Leaders Encouraged Believers An older entry from Stephen Barry’s blog: Teaching People To Feed Themselves Lastly, reflection-worthy thoughts from Milestone Worship: Thinking About Worship - Love or Lust? & though these aren’t ‘reads’ I want to share some photos of God’s glorious creation: Helix Nebula - this image from Hubble makes me think of ‘the eye of God’ Star-Forming Region in the Carina Nebula Orion Neb
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I AM - Not Like I Planned (Part 2)
2007-11-10 10:02:44
After doing part 1 of this section, I couldn’t just wait until next week for part 2, so here I am doing it today! …if you have yet to check out Lisa’s I AM So You Don’t Have To Be Bible study — check it out now! An excerpt from Lisa’s text: Can I encourage you in the fact if God can accomplish the cross-country relocation of 2 million people by the obedience of one man [Moses], then He is SO ABLE to work out the details of your calling to a good end! The most important thing to remember is even if it is Not Like We Planned, there is never to be a doubt that our outcomes are exactly Like He Planned. We can rest knowing that our God has it covered. …Sisters, when things do not work out like we planned, when the diagnosis is not what we wanted, when the child is in trouble, when the bills are not paid, when the job is just too stressful, when the loved one continues to reject the Lord, the only way we can endure is following hard after the One


I AM - Not Like I Planned (Part 1)
2007-11-09 12:20:40
…if you have yet to check out Lisa’s I AM So You Don’t Have To Be Bible study — check it out now! Discussion Questions: 1. It was stated in the Lesson that God has made you “once, twice, three times a lady.” Where are you in this progression? Obviously we have all been physically born, but are you ‘twice a lady’? Have you been born again spiritually? This may be a private matter you’d like to discuss confidentially. If so, email me. If you have already received this gift, write a brief prayer of thanksgiving or testimony. I’m coming up to a full year of being a true Christian. I was raised attending Catholic church & school until I was 12 or 13, & even went to church by myself in high school to participate in the music ministry (at that time, for the wrong reasons since I had no personal relationship with God!) Despite that & even my believing in God, I was not truly saved then — I didn’t know the G


God is My Vision
2007-11-08 20:08:22
Today I caught myself thinking something like: I like things the way they are, why this now? When I realized that this thought had crossed my mind, I was amused. How much over the last few months I’ve been praying & aching for change from what I’m doing currently! How much I’ve been longing for another chapter in God’s will for me to come to pass! Ha! Or to state that differently… God is definitely doing something! He’s definitely getting ready to take me to another chapter relating to worship ministry! Shame on me for grumbling about change now, even if the circumstances do sadden me! (& I hope no one thinks they don’t!) (A little background: Change is in the works at our church, specifically affecting our worship ministry, some of which will bring greater commitments on my part at least temporarily). Yes, these are people I’m going to miss tremendously on so many levels. Yes, I’m afraid of others I love leaving as well. Y


Creative Time - The Lack of It!
2007-11-07 05:23:59
Lately I’ve been almost aching to do something creative, as I used to do many things (including music & writing of course, but other things as well). Time, however, is never on my side. This weekend should provide some time to let out the artist inside again, the artist-me who doesn’t get to do much creatively outside of my involvement in using my musical abilities to serve on our church’s worship team & choir. Those things, of course, are very fulfilling–to use my gifts for God, giving back to Him in worship through the gifts He’s so graciously blessed me with. But the other things I used to do–working on my photography & using it to create art, crafts like decoupage, jewelry-making, composing music & songs, writing, reading, looking at God’s huge canvas of creation to inspire me, & even organizing just because! Our God, in creating us in His image, did make us a creative people after all! So….. How do you satisfy t


Reminder: Faith is Not a Feeling
2007-11-03 20:59:02
“Do not work for food that spoils, but for food that endures to eternal life, which the Son of Man will give you. On Him God the Father has placed His seal of approval.” Then they asked Him, “What must we do to do the works God requires?” Jesus answered, “The work of God is this: to believe in the One He has sent.” - John 6:27-29 (NIV) & the New Living Translation of this passage: “But don’t be so concerned about perishable things like food. Spend your energy seeking the eternal life that the Son of Man can give you. For God the Father has given Me the seal of His approval.” They replied, “We want to perform God’s works, too. What should we do?” Jesus told them, “This is the only work God wants from you: Believe in the One He has sent.”
Read more: Reminder , Faith , Feeling

I AM - Beautiful To God
2007-11-02 12:13:46
Firstly, I did some revamping around here with the layout — check it out. Feels less cramped in here. Now, on with the Bible study… A short excerpt: Do you ever encounter people and know by their countenance they are believers? A friend of mine went on a mission trip to Africa and while there came in contact with a tribal chief/witch doctor. During her groups’ stay, the man was born again. She has ‘before and after’ photos of him and I am not exaggerating when I say you can hardly tell he is the same man! All of the hard lines of sin were erased and replaced with a gentleness that can only be described as angelic. How amazing that God Himself makes us beautiful! “For the Lord takes pleasure in His people; He will beautify the afflicted ones with salvation.” - Psalm 149:4 (NASB) Discussion Questions: What is your initial response when anyone suggests you are beautiful? Usually I say thank you, but what I feel is surprise. When such a comm
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Thursday Morning Reflections
2007-11-01 07:22:23
Things don’t change when I talk to God; things change when God talks to me. - Bob Sorge I don’t set aside listening time for God often enough. I’ve grown lazy in waking up early enough to spend a few morning moments quietly with God, in His Word, or in silent prayer, waiting on Him. I need to go to bed earlier. I need to force myself to get up. I need to remember how much I yearned for that time before & remind myself why I cherished that time so that I’ll yearn for it again. I’ve been so fortunate that God has still been answering my prayers lately in ways I do not deserve in the least, still making the way known to me, making His will known despite my lack of spending alone time with Him away from the distractions of life! Thank You for Your graciousness, Lord, thank You for loving me so much that You continue to work in my life despite my own neglect of setting aside time & energy solely for You. How You bless me even though I fail You & n
Read more: Thursday , Morning , Reflections

Worship-related Book Recommendations
2007-10-31 06:35:04
So, this is a question for all those out there, mainly in worship arts, but anyone who can offer suggestions! I’m trying to expand my resources & knowledge on worship, particularly relating to leading worship & working with worship teams, choirs, musicians, & so forth. Would any of you care to suggest some must-haves for my bookshelf, good resources, good reads in general on such topics…?? (Don’t be afraid to suggest the obvious ones even if you think I already know about them or have read them–it’s good to see others’ confirmation of must-have books as well!) I’ll soon enter a new chapter of God’s will for my life, & I’m looking to do my part in some of the preparation as well, but want to spend wisely when it comes to books & other resources with the small salary I currently make! Thank you all tremendously!
Read more: related

I AM - Just in Time
2007-10-29 20:15:56
I’ve been planning to begin this Bible study by Lisa for a few weeks now, & am glad to say I’ve finally joined in! The scripture verses for I AM - Just in Time are Acts 7:17-20: But as the time for the promise was approaching which God had assured to Abraham, the people increased & multiplied in Egypt. It was at this time that Moses was born; & he was lovely in the sight of God, & he was nurtured three months in his father’s home. (NASB) Also, here are some excerpts from Lisa’s commentary: Have you ever considered that your placement on planet Earth, in your generation, in your county, state, city, family, circle of friends was completely intentional? That you are not the accidental end of a long list of ‘begats’ that just happened to spring forth when you did? …there is a reason God has placed us just in time in our particular circle of influence… I believe with all my heart that our entire lives are a series of unrecu


I AM - I Was
2007-11-16 12:33:34
On to lesson #5 …if you have yet to check out Lisa’s I AM So You Don’t Have To Be Bible study — check it out now! An excerpt: Have you ever found yourself floundering in a desert? Unsure of your next step? Feeling like a ‘has been’? There have been seasons in my life when my situation was so barren that I could do nothing but look back on brighter days and think, “then I could have done something great for God. Then my faith was deeper, my relationship with God stronger, my circumstances more blessed.” I used to be so heartbroken over what I believed were wasted years of ineffectiveness when now I understand God used some very painful circumstances to demonstrate His power to heal. They were not wasted days at all. They were days of faith, days of preparation, days of strength. His strength, not mine. He wanted me to know Him so when it was time to spread His fame, I would have an intimate knowledge of the Person of whom I spoke. It is h


Here I Am - To Worship
2007-11-14 07:23:28
Yesterday morning while listening to the radio, Tim Hughes‘ song Here I Am To Worship was played & it struck me in a different way than before. In the midst of all that’s going on, God reminded me through this song that no matter how I’m feeling or what I’m doing, that I still need to continue living for Him & worshiping Him, that my purpose in everything is to worship Him. Essentially, here I am, wherever I am, & from that place in life, I’ve got to worship despite any fiery dart thrown my way. When I arrived at the church to get in some morning flute playing, I grabbed some paper & the lyrics to Here I Am To Worship (which, ironically, was one of the songs in our contemporary set list this past Sunday). I used the lyrics to remind me again of what God had communicated to me, & my reflections through the lyrics’ reminders: “Here I am” —> “to worship“ I am here to worship, serve, know, love God &a


God is I AM, Not I Was
2007-11-20 06:40:58
Last night God gave me the meaning to a dream I had almost two months ago after all this time of praying about it & remembering this dream again the other day. I must say, His timing is always perfect! I had dreamt that someone misspoke the Scripture verse, John 14:6 to me by saying that Jesus was the Way, the Truth & the Life! In the dream, I corrected them (Jesus said, “I AM the Way & the Truth & the Life…” - He is!), & then, I think I woke up. All I recalled of this dream was the words spoken, not a thing else that I remember. I definitely wrote this one down, thinking it might have later significance, that someone may say this to me & I’d have to correct them & show them that Jesus is the Way. But as I was reading John 14 last night, God downloaded a new meaning into my heart & taught me what was really meant through this past dream. Oddly enough, this dream had come either just before or just as my struggles of lately had be


Our God Ever Faithful
2007-11-18 20:45:15
After such a long entry about my recent struggles, I was clicking links from a weblog I recently discovered, & God led me to some further encouragement, so much so that I could cry! (How ridiculous am I, eh?) To man, being strong is being independent and being able to do things on our own. To God, strength is found in admitting weakness and total dependence on Him and relying on Him to enable us to all things through Him. from 1st Row From the Pulpit: Paradox Our Lord is ever faithful, more than we can ever truly fathom! (& to think He even uses blogs to do it!)
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Encouraged, Yet Frustrated
2007-11-18 20:01:02
There’s much thinking out loud ahead, but I’m sharing this as I know others may also experience this, or may have further help & encouragement to offer! I feel incredibly inadequate for what God seems to be calling me to. I constantly have to remind myself that this calling may not come “before I’m ready,” & that God will equip me; but being honestly unhappy with many things in my life right now makes waiting hard as well! Don’t get me wrong, there are things I’m happy about & looking forward to currently — even if some of them are truly bittersweet — but I’m just feeling as I’m feeling lately & I find I can’t change that easily. At these times, I think: I’ve only been a Christian for a year, I’m female, I lack knowledge of tech stuff, I can’t sing as well as I’d like, I don’t have the piano skills I need, I don’t play guitar, & flute (which is what my degr
Read more: Frustrated

You’re All I Want
2007-12-02 21:24:15
Lord, I don’t care anymore about the details, the music, the methods, about whatever goes into doing church. I want only to be at Your feet, lying with my face at Your feet. I want to let my tears of brokenness for our church, my ache for the needed unity, my gratitude for Your grace, my frustration at anything or anyone who isn’t rightly motivated for You & You alone. I’m tired, I’m weary. I don’t even care who’s by my side, I don’t even know if I want anyone by my side. I just want You, time alone with You away from all the things of life that are distracting me. I’m tired of doing church. Church! Usual is over. (Someone at a worship gathering Saturday night shared that the Lord spoke this to them recently.) I’m sick of formalities, so-called traditions & scheduled-ness! You can’t put God in a box or time constraints — He owns & made even time itself! I’m sick of life, church & even me as usual. I


He Can Move the Mountains
2007-11-28 07:26:56
I hope that everyone has had a wonderful Thanksgiving! I was offline for most of the weekend, with the exception of purchasing a domain for my dad’s company at his office on Friday (thank you to Wisdom Moon who recommends fetchaname.com - now my dad has a truly reliable hosting company!) Anyway, last night during rehearsal as we sang Mighty To Save, the lyrics began to provide more hope for myself in regards to our church, especially at the line, Saviour, He can move the mountains, I vaguely pictured God’s power breaking right through the middle of a mountain, breaking down anything that could be holding us back as a congregation & in reaching our community. Oddly enough, I have been praying that God would break down any blockages that may be hindering forward movement for our church as we’ve been facing challenging times for even longer than I’ve been involved there. The thought of this mountain being broken through brought great hope. Ironically, our commu


Processing, Musically That Is
2007-12-07 22:57:57
Lately I’ve had a song that I accidentally started writing in my head. Looking at it now I see how it is a testimony of both my being saved & forever changed by God, & also of the current theme of His teaching me to further trust in Him & His love. Needless to say, I don’t write songs or poetry much as I have in the past, mostly thanks to lack of time. I think this sounds better sung (it’s been stuck in my head all day, & that’s just odd to me), but so far, a chorus & bridge: I never wanna go back to who I once was I never wanna go back - Thank You, Lord, for changing me. Forever You’ve changed me, let me forever be changed to who You’ve made me. You call my name, I seek Your face, I feel Your love - cleansing me. You hold me up, You keep me safe, You teach me, Lord, to trust in Your love. I need verses …so bad with that. I also need to gain the ability to write out all the instrumental stuff playing along with this in my h
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Blogs I’m Reading Tonight
2007-12-15 19:01:56
Well, today has been a busy day of getting things done around the house, preparing to lead one of our worship services tomorrow, & also prep to play flute & whistle at a fellow worship leader’s church’s Christmas cantata out of town tomorrow evening. I’m finally winding down a little for the night, & trying to catch up with some of my fellow bloggers out there. Here are some highlights I hope will inspire, inform or entertain you: In The World, But Not In It? « inWorship In a world where many of us Christians tend to shelter ourselves, Brent asks the question: “What does it mean to be in the world but not of it?” Bringing Your Burdens To Worship « Milestone Worship Do you hide behind a faked smile at church when all you’re feeling is discouragement or despair? Jeremy talks about being honest even as you struggle when you worship God corporately. Some Personal Experiences « Steve Sensenig’s Theological Musings This comes
Read more: Reading , Blogs , Tonight

I AM - West Side of the Wilderness
2007-12-14 11:58:09
Back to it - Lisa’s I AM So You Don’t Have To Be Bible Study An excerpt: Girls, I have no way of knowing where you are in life. I simply know where I have been in mine. I have experienced difficult times in the past that I can look back on now as preparation periods for my ‘now’ ministry. When I have endured long times of waiting, it has always been followed by a time of an intense encounter with the Lord where He lit a fire to have me recognize to some extent the reason I had to go through that trial. That fire was not only for illumination but also for rejuvenation and restoration depending on what my state of mind was at the time. Scriptures to read & study: Exodus 3:1-9 & Acts 7:30-35 Discussion Questions: 1. How current is your God? Is he up to date on all your issues or do you have old hurts you still hold behind your back? God is definitely current in that He knows all there is to know about me, after all He made me! However, it is definitely
Read more: Wilderness , West Side

Merry Christmas!
2007-12-22 20:37:30
I’ve been busy just as many of us are in this season, but I wanted to wish everyone a wonderful Christmas & new year! I pray that none of us will forget the truth & hope of this time of year — the worship, reflection, & gratitude to God for the sacrifice of His Son to make us free from sin & reconcile us to Him! Remember, if there was no Christmas — the birth of Christ — there’d be no Easter — the resurrection of Christ after death to end death’s sting for those who believe once & for all! I pray also for all those who come to truly know Jesus during this season as they are embraced in love & grace by God & begin their journeys as new believers. I pray that we won’t be overwhelmed by the world’s ways of celebrating the season, the business of this time, & the stress that can come so easily. I pray that all of us are able to even more spend cherished time with family, & deeper, one-on-one time wi
Read more: Merry , Merry Christmas

Worship = WORTHship
2008-03-09 22:59:40
The greatest commandment is to “Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength and with all your mind” (Luke 10:27.) How does this relate to worshiping through singing? Do you love the Lord when you sing to or about Him? Do you give [...]


Reaching Out as God Leads
2008-03-09 14:14:23
I love finding another worthwhile podcast to listen to which helps me to grow in my relationship with God & I pray it will increase the outflow into reaching the lost. This podcast includes testimony & input from all those involved - awesome! The Mission Podcast (from Carl of Revival Blog) — these are some [...]
Read more: Reaching , Leads

Something for Saturday
2008-03-08 20:21:22
…nothing brings the heart, soul, & mind greater joy & satisfaction than praising the one true God. - Beth Moore (Stepping Up)
Read more: Saturday

Twitter!?
2008-03-07 17:15:55
Okay — So I’ve jumped on the Twitter bandwagon some of you have already traveled on for some time now! But… I don’t really have a clue what it’s all about or what to do with it! So please share! Oh… & here’s a link to my poor excuse for a Twitter page. [...]


Jump In & Go Up!
2008-02-23 10:30:55
This hit home with me today. I honestly feel like every word is what I’ve needed to hear, geared toward the current season in my own life, & I pray it is where God is taking me & others in the body of Christ! Lord, I receive it, let Your will be done on earth [...]


Living Out of Love
2008-02-22 12:11:44
Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind and with all your strength. - Mark 12:30 What does this verse mean to you personally? The first thought I had for myself is that I need to let go of fear in order to love God [...]
Read more: Living

Stop Looking Back
2008-02-22 07:36:19
I found this post via Nathan’s blog very relevant for many. I felt this would hit home with some of you, including some of you I know outside of the blogsphere. If we cling to the past when God has previously moved, we will miss what He’s doing NOW. If we spend all our [...]


Flute (fife) Fun
2008-02-21 18:59:08
I just had to borrow this nifty iPod ad take off that Jeff at Consuming Worship made, being a flute player & all….


Amazing Grace - Which Verses?
2008-02-17 16:26:20
Amazing Grace is a hymn with at least seven verses (or more?) One verse that is now common in our hymnals, was first found in Harriet Beecher Stowe’s book Uncle Tom’s Cabin: When we’ve been there ten thousand years, Bright shining as the sun, We’ve no less days to sing God’s praise Than when we’ve first begun. A few [...]
Read more: Amazing , Amazing Grace

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