God Loves Himself

I've been thinking a lot about how much God loves Himself. Think about it...if God loved someone more than Himself...then He wouldn't be God...because there would be something/someone greater than Him worth loving.

And then I think of the relationship God shares with Himself...Father, Son & Spirit. The Son and the Father share intimate relationship with each other...and Jesus constantly talked about how He came to show us the Father...and that They are one.

I really believe we present an incomplete gospel at times. We leave the thought at, 'Jesus saved us so we wouldn't go to hell.' True...but we need to follow that thought further...doing that will lead us to the very heart and nature of God.

Since God loves Himself...He loves to behold Himself. Man is made in God's image. We chose something other than God to give ourselves to. God desires the relationship with us to be reconciled. He sends Himself to do what only He could do, and in doing so, makes a way once more for us to be together...sharing in the same intimacy He shares with Himself.

I absolutely love this thought.

Spontaneity In Worship

I grew up in church. This presented both positive experiences and negative. Around my Sophomore year in high school, God began really widening my view of musical worship. Instead of going verse, chorus, verse, chorus...I started seeing the songs as vehicles to take me into deeper places with God.

I've heard many opinions on corporate worship that includes spontaneity...both negative and positive.

A big part of my heart is took include & invite as many people in the Sunday morning experience as possible. So...I wrestle a lot with how far off the page to go.

Some of it is coaching the people...some is leading them...a lot is praying & trusting...

God is doing good things at His Place...and I've got a feeling it's going to be a fun next 6-12 months...

Wow

We had an amazing rehearsal last night. One of those times where His presence was just so very overwhelming...I think about it this morning, and my heart still races. We were just working our way through a new song and then something just began to build...and it just kept getting stronger, larger, bigger...until it just exploded and it was just Him...His presence...His Spirit...His glory...absolutely beautiful...absolutely amazing. Just incredible.

Our worship is always for God, because of God. His presence isn't something we earn by singing...it's a gift...and we experienced it last night in a big way. Thank God.

Amazing.

My heart still races...

Intimacy With The Father

One of the values that I've always held close to in worship is intimacy. As worship leaders...or people in a worship band...we do more than lead songs. Raffi does that. I think the best thing that we can do is follow the Spirit into the throne room, call and encourage as many to enter in with us, and then disappear. It's the Spirit that draws us and people to the Father...we're just the folks upfront who have been 'there' and have been called and want to tell others about it. It's more than singing songs.

If it's God that draws us to Himself, then we simply follow.

This week may we experience life-changing intimacy with the Father. Jesus died and came back to life so we could be close with Him.

Jesus resumed talking to the people, but now tenderly. "The Father has given me all these things to do and say. This is a unique Father-Son operation, coming out of Father and Son intimacies and knowledge. No one knows the Son the way the Father does, nor the Father the way the Son does. But I'm not keeping it to myself; I'm ready to go over it line by line with anyone willing to listen.

-Matthew 11:27