As you all know, I have been at YWAM Denver since the beginning of this month as a student in the School of Worship. It is a 3 month training program for worshipers to gain a deeper understanding of who God is and who we are as worshipers.
The school includes practical musical applications like band rehearsals, songwriting, and recording opportunities, but its primary focus is on what the life of a worshiper truly looks like. Here are a few examples of some concepts I am learning about:
While weekly corporate worship is important for us as a body, worship involves so much more than attending a church gathering. It involves music and art, usually, but it also involves all that we are. I know it's been said a thousand times before, but we literally do have the opportunity to worship God every minute of every day, no matter what we are doing. Working, driving a car, exercising - even the seemingly mundane glorifies God.
We can give Him glory through all of these things through thanksgiving. Choosing gratefulness for the blessings God gives us shifts our perspective from what is wrong to what is right. In a world focused on material gain, this is a constant struggle for modern Christians, but as I have chosen to practice thanksgiving in my life, I have found so much more peace and joy despite my circumstances.
Another cool concept I have learned is that God is faithful to His Name. Often, we focus on God's faithfulness as we worship Him, and we are comforted in times of strife because of His faithfulness. But, ultimately, God is not faithful to us because of who we are; He is faithful to His own Name, which He gave to us when we accepted Christ into our lives.
The way the teacher explained this concept is how a wife takes on her husband's name when they get married. In a similar fashion, Christians take on a new name when we give our lives over to Jesus. (Which, incidentally, was the inspiration for a song I wrote for this school. I hope to be able to share it with you all soon!)
This changes our attitudes and approaches to everything! If God promises us something, yes, we can trust in His faithfulness to fulfill that promise, but it is not by our doing. It has nothing to do with what great servants we are, but everything to do with how good He is.
Let's be honest, this concept is painfully humbling. While God does in fact have great plans for every one of His children, the temptation is to forget that He chooses us for His work and purposes. Even for those called to big assignments, ultimately these assignments must be given back to God for His glory. Being the vessel for God's work is a great honor, but it is paramount to remind ourselves that in the beginning, He called us.
These are just a few of the concepts we have been learning in School of Worship, and I hope that it helped illuminate something new for you as well. I am excited to see what more God wants to reveal in the next couple of months and will keep you posted!
Sunday, April 28, 2013
Saturday, April 6, 2013
Mysteriously unpredictable
As a School of Worship student, I have the opportunity to work with a cell band every day. We meet up for daily practice and arrange worship sets as well as write together for the next couple months.
This past week we were asked to describe our "relationship" with our main musical instruments. We could describe this relationship as if we were dating or friends or whatever relationship terms fit best. It was a really intriguing exercise that I thought I'd share.
Here was my response:
My relationship with my voice is like when you're dating someone ultra mysterious. There are many sides to this person and s/he is completely unpredictable. One moment s/he is all quiet and sweet, and the next you are overwhelmed by the power and intensity of his or her personality.
[Obviously I used the term s/he for the sake of a mixed gender audience.] =P
Often times, even I am surprised by how big and loud my voice can be. I don't understand where this power comes from or how it is even a part of me at times.
For awhile, I tried to harness my sound because its power and depth scared me. I couldn't understand it and so I tried to hide from it.
My voice feels like it has a life of its own.
Then I started thinking - perhaps this could give me insight into how I view God. People always say "God is so big," or "God is bigger than we can imagine," but there is a huge difference when you're actually hit with the reality of these statements than when someone simply quotes them at you.
Fully feeling the weight of the hugeness of the God and creator of the universe brings awe and wonder. He is a mystery we can never solve. A problem we can never wrap our minds around.
The reality is that God is bigger and more colorful and more powerful than we can handle. We cannot physically hold onto Him.
While at times the "big" nature of God brings comfort and peace of mind, it also brings immense insecurity or even fear for some.
What would happen if I let myself go, and let Him take over in my life? Would it feel as big and scary as singing a classical aria full voice and forte, or even crazier than that?
Being in the presence of something much bigger than oneself brings so much humility. It highlights the smallness of what I am on my own.
But in order for me to fully be who God created me to be, I need to allow Him to be everything that He is. I need to believe that His power working in me and transforming my life is big enough to handle everything that I am in this present moment.
It is in the process of handing over all that we hold on to - the good, the bad, and the ugly - that God is most able to reveal Himself and how He envisions us. Just as it is most effective as a performer to allow one's own voice to ring out strong and clear and powerful to fully communicate the message of a song.
So while it may be scary and the results may be uncertain, I would encourage those of you who are reading this to allow yourselves to be open to the nature of the fullness of the the living God. To allow Him to show You who He is.
Because while He is mysterious and unpredictable, He is also always good. And so we can rest in knowing that anything He wants to show us or give us or grow in us is also good.
This past week we were asked to describe our "relationship" with our main musical instruments. We could describe this relationship as if we were dating or friends or whatever relationship terms fit best. It was a really intriguing exercise that I thought I'd share.
Here was my response:
My relationship with my voice is like when you're dating someone ultra mysterious. There are many sides to this person and s/he is completely unpredictable. One moment s/he is all quiet and sweet, and the next you are overwhelmed by the power and intensity of his or her personality.
[Obviously I used the term s/he for the sake of a mixed gender audience.] =P
Often times, even I am surprised by how big and loud my voice can be. I don't understand where this power comes from or how it is even a part of me at times.
For awhile, I tried to harness my sound because its power and depth scared me. I couldn't understand it and so I tried to hide from it.
My voice feels like it has a life of its own.
Then I started thinking - perhaps this could give me insight into how I view God. People always say "God is so big," or "God is bigger than we can imagine," but there is a huge difference when you're actually hit with the reality of these statements than when someone simply quotes them at you.
Fully feeling the weight of the hugeness of the God and creator of the universe brings awe and wonder. He is a mystery we can never solve. A problem we can never wrap our minds around.
The reality is that God is bigger and more colorful and more powerful than we can handle. We cannot physically hold onto Him.
While at times the "big" nature of God brings comfort and peace of mind, it also brings immense insecurity or even fear for some.
What would happen if I let myself go, and let Him take over in my life? Would it feel as big and scary as singing a classical aria full voice and forte, or even crazier than that?
Being in the presence of something much bigger than oneself brings so much humility. It highlights the smallness of what I am on my own.
But in order for me to fully be who God created me to be, I need to allow Him to be everything that He is. I need to believe that His power working in me and transforming my life is big enough to handle everything that I am in this present moment.
It is in the process of handing over all that we hold on to - the good, the bad, and the ugly - that God is most able to reveal Himself and how He envisions us. Just as it is most effective as a performer to allow one's own voice to ring out strong and clear and powerful to fully communicate the message of a song.
So while it may be scary and the results may be uncertain, I would encourage those of you who are reading this to allow yourselves to be open to the nature of the fullness of the the living God. To allow Him to show You who He is.
Because while He is mysterious and unpredictable, He is also always good. And so we can rest in knowing that anything He wants to show us or give us or grow in us is also good.
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