RENOVATION of the Soul

RENOVATION.

it's a word that until recent pondering, i almost always associate with the rebuilding of a house or other structure. however, while recently driving to the church i was trying to think of a name by which to associate the worship ministry with. (let me add this disclaimer: worship ministries do not NEED a name for themselves. one could simply refer to the worship ministry as "the worship ministry" and it would suffice; this is not an attempt to be "relevant" or "postmodern," 'cause the town in which i work is very far away from being a cultural "postmodern" center.)
i started thinking of something to call the worship ministry, because in recent conversations with some of the members of the worship team, i realized that some, if not most of them, don't really think of the worship team as a ministry. the word ministry itself means to aid someone, or to serve in some way. but the feeling that i get is that some people (in the collective body of the church) act as though worship is, in some regards, a self-serving act. nothing could be further from the truth!!
worshipping God is not something that we do on sunday mornings, but something that we should do with every breath we take. playing an instrument on sunday mornings, and being up on stage, is not something to do for self-glorification or for self-satisfying reasons, but an act of service and worship to our God. (sometimes i wonder what is going through the minds of worship leaders at megachurches during a service)
my job as a worship leader is to help lead others to the throne of God through song and other art, but my job as a christian is to be willing to let God take my thoughts, words, and actions wherever He choses, and to give Him glory when He works through me to implement a RENOVATION in someone's life. so anyway, the name that God laid on my heart was the name Renovate, by which my church has started calling our worship ministry, because we wish to (by God's gracious movement) implement change in other's lives, so that the unbeliever might see, and the believer will continue to move along in his/her sanctification.

when we worship what goes through our minds? maybe a better rhetorical question to ask would be, what is worship? do we worship?

when i was younger, i remember hearing a few sermons about worship. i can also remember being in school and learning about the Israelites and how they often turned from God to worship other idols; gods that they created for themselves. i remember those sermons that i heard on the topic of worship, where the pastors often led one down the road of "what is it that YOU worship?" it's a good question, but i remember asking myself, "do i worship?"
the answer is a resounding 'yes.' every one of us worships and when we realize that we then come back to the first question, "what is it that we worship." we hear in sermons, "every person is created with a God-shaped void in our souls, that only God can fill." i think another way of looking at it is that while people fill that black hole in their soul with other things than God, in the same way we worship everything else but God. Christians are just as good at this as non-believers. often times we do not live a life of worship that we are supposed to. we definitely worship, but the question and the answer is "What do we worship?"
this post is not to describe what IT is that we worship, but to point out that we were made to worship and glorify God in all that we do. so we worship all the time, no one escapes the act of worshipping something, but most of us simply do not worship God. even as a worship pastor, i find the Spirit reminding me that my mind is often not where it should be and that place where it should be is being aware of my actions and making sure that God is being glorified in all that i do.

Be Still

be still and know that I am God.



i drive too fast. i recently (two months ago) just got an 06 mazda 6 ...it's beautiful, but that is besides the point. i drive a lot, and with recently starting at a new job in Union, MO (i live in the Saint Louis area), i drive a whole lot. i often find myself rushing a lot. the other day i was driving to Union, 53 miles away from my house, and i started thinking about how much we rush through our lives. this can be taken in many different ways, but the point that i am getting at is that we never seem to relax. as a matter of fact, we have to fit it into our schedule to go on vacation...the rest of the time we rush through everything.
as a Christian, i know that i don't often take the time to be still and spend time in study and prayer, or simply just listening for God to speak to me...in any way. it has become our habit to go through life as fast as we can, perhaps to do as many things as possible in the duration of our lives, because if we think about it (and i am convinced that we all do), we all know that we will die someday. no one denies that, so many people consciously or subconsciously try to cram as many things as possible into their everyday.
i encourage everyone (including myself) to try to be quiet, be still, and take in what's around you. enjoy the life God gave you and seek Him in all that you do, because He IS the hope we have, and He comforts those who seek Him.