What the ...

Wow, it's been two weeks since I updated. On no, I'm turning into the very thing that I dislike - people who don't update their blogs for weeks on end.

This past week has been full on. Work has been busy, and last weekend I went (with Karen) to the Rick Joyner/Jack Deere conference at Churchlands. What a blast - Rick was average, but Jack Deere packs a wallop. Jack preached one of the best messages I have ever heard on tithing and giving on Sunday night. I actually got to meet him in person, and was very impressed with his gift of teaching. He's joined the likes of Joseph Prince and Chuck Swindoll as one of my favorite speakers. Guaranteed to be challenged, encouraged and educated all in one hit!!!

The other awesome thing about Churchlands was the worship. There was this young lady leading the worship on Friday night, and it was just the most amazing and uplifting worship experience I have had in a long while. I could get used to having quality worship leading like that all of the time. The amazing thing was that when I spoke to this young lady after the session about how much we were touched by her leading and the resulting worship, she was just so blown away and blessed. The genuine humility she displays is hard to find these days, and she is destined for greatness if she continues to seek God the way she does. There was also a new song (never heard it before) which was written by a guitarist from Churchlands. It was amazing, and I can't wait until it is released on their forthcoming CD.

God has been showing me that there are many people who want quality worship in churches today. It is surprising though how many people still think that worship is about us!!! My goal is to lead people in worship that doesn't conform to any formula, but that will simply glorify God and please Him. That will only ever happen when my spirit is subject to His Holy Spirit. It is usually when I think I have screwed up that I actually discover that God has mightily used me to impact into someones life through singing a song or something I have said. We may impress with a performance, but we can only communicate spirit to spirit when we lay our own lives and agendas down and "go out on a limb" for Him. Our most unimpressive attempt at "performing" is usually the one that brings people to their knees before the Throne of Grace. As one young lady said to me after my rather choked up attempt at singing the first verse of a beautiful old hymn last Sunday morning, it gave her and her husband goosebumps.

I must confess that I have never particularly liked the sound of my own voice, and have never considered that anyone would like it either. However, I am learning that when God gives us a gift we must use it, and we must recognise it!! This is hard to do when you have always been taught that we must be humble and modest. The two aspects are not mutually exclusive though, and it is a hard thing to learn that God sees us rather differently to how we see ourselves. The Bible exhorts us to have a realistic opinion of ourselves - and this most often results in us putting ourselves down. We are not good at accepting compliments or praise because we feel that it is wrong to have a high opinion of ourselves. I am learning however that God has a high opinion of me because the word says that when He looks at me, He doesn't see "me", but He sees my life wrapped up in Christ. He sees the ME that He created ME to be! He only sees my potential, not my weaknesses, and He always has a word of encouragement - not discouragement.

Praise God - when I am least able - He is most able! When my voice is failing or all choked up because of my brokeness inside, His annointing comes to the rescue. When my "impressiveness" goes out the window, His annointing descends from above, and power is released from on high.
People may (and do) say that God has blessed me with a gift of singing, but my belief is that God has blessed me with the gift of exhortation, and that manifests itself in many ways.

It only takes one heavenly minded person to make a lasting impact on us, and I thank God for that young lady at Churchlands last Friday - she has inspired me to pursue the avenue of true worship - the kind that impresses God and causes us to cry out Glory to our Lord and King.