What is worship?

Sometimes, I get bored with my Bible reading. And sometimes I have thoughts like "I have studied that story so much. What is left to learn?" I know some people might think it wrong for me to admit these thoughts. But, I don't think it is wrong at all. God knows them anyhow. 

This morning, I had no responsibilities and no meetings so I decided to just sit in my next story for the What is Christian Discipleship series? 

I have found reading the Bible story from someone else's perspective can radically change my mindset. Suddenly, what is old becomes fresh and knew.

This morning, I thought about this story from several perspectives. A friend in a far off land hearing it for the first time. A stranger grieving over all the evil happening in our culture and wanting answers. A woman feeling belittled by men because she is simply a woman. A foreigner longing for inclusion.

Oh my. Somehow this old familiar story grips my heart now.

So in case this is you. John 4:1-26 is the story of the Samaritan Woman. 

God really hit me with what worship is and what it is not.

Worship IS NOT:

Focused on gender.

Focused on race.

Focused on our story.

Focused on culture or cultural debates.

Focused on a location or building.

Worship IS ABOUT:

God's living water.

Ever flowing.

Eternal life.

Thirst quenching.

Knowing who you Worship.

In Spirit.

In Truth.

The Messiah.

Going.

Testifying.

Hearing.

The Savior of the World.

Suddenly, my morning Worship in the Word was radically different than I anticipated.

Father, help me/us to worship You in Spirit and in Truth. Help us to stop focusing on the things that distract us and create barriers. Help us to focus on the heart and the inward condition of our own hearts so that it is You, Jesus, who we point others to. In Jesus Name, amen.

It is so important to be in the Word, to be with Jesus, so we can be transformed! 

Shalom y'all!

Death Doula: Grounding in Peace

There are certain things that ground us. It can be the sound of someone's voice. It can be the familiarity of our surroundings. It can be a song or a pet. It can be holding the hand of a loved one. It can be a favorite verse or story of the Bible that reminds of God's ever present help. It can be a prayer that gives you hope in the moment. The things that ground us give us peace.

I bought this blanket in Kenya for Papa. It is a Masai Warrior blanket. I had no idea how much this blanket would mean to Papa. I bought it because he is always cold. But the fact that it is a traditional warrior blanket encouraged his heart. He asks for it all the time. At times, it is almost a demand. "Give me my warrior blanket." Now it is "my blanket." It brings comfort, warmth, and a vision of strength. It grounds Papa. I had no clue when I bought it what it would mean. 

Papa comes home from the hospital today. I have known this day was coming. We moved Papa, Mema, and Aunt Janie here to help them in this season of life three years ago. It has been so much fun. It has been so hard. It is beautiful. We have learned so much.

We have been silly and danced to oldies music. You might find us "Celebrate Good Times" with a conga line while we are"Staying Alive". Or find us pushing through to the theme song of ROCKY. You might laugh at our morning stretches as we wake up to "I'm so Blessed" and Papa seems to think they are saying, "Taco Bell." Sometimes, we are "Sitting on the Dock of the Bay," when we need a more mellow day. We are always singing about the "Goodness of "God" and praying with the song "The LORD Bless You." 

In all of this, it occured to me this week when we were told Papa was going on hospice that I am a Doula. 

When we had to choose a hospice care team to join us in our home, it became quite clear. As I did my research, I noticed that one company truly gets it. They are holistic in their approach. They do all that the other groups do in the physical, mental, emotional, and spiritual help, but they add music, art, and massage therapy as some of their touch points. They get it. They want someone to have joy in this transition.

This is when it hit me. We have been acting like a Death Doula. The hospice team is a Death Doula. Just as a Doula helps a mom give birth, what we have been doing as a family is helping our family birth into eternal life.  

We pray, we touch, we sing, we laugh, we cry, we encourage, we remind, we wait, we help...

We make sure the heart, mind, soul, and spirit are ready to move forward. It is really quite a beautiful gift. 

So we begin a knew phase in our birthing journey. For those that have done this before, thank you for your role model. For those that will follow, embrace the gift of being a Doula. You can be the one who brings true grounding by helping your loved one walk into eternal life.

A person can only receive what heaven gives him (John 3:27)

There are so many rich lessons we can learn from John the Baptist in John 3:22-36. But what stopped me this time was the reminder that "man can only do what they received from heaven."

This phrase slays jealousy.

This phrase celebrates whatever God is doing.

It doesn't have to be big. It can be small. It isn't about numbers. It is about obedience.

I don't have to stop someone from serving. I need to celebrate what God is doing.

Each man and yes, woman, "can only do what heaven has given them." Nothing more and nothing less.

This phrase slays comparison and if I dare say competition between denominations, churches, cultures, and people groups. 

This phrase, "man can only receive what heaven gives them" is a reminder to focus on Jesus. Yes, "more of Him and less of me." I must celebrate His work and what He is accomplishing in others and in me. The focus is on Him and His work. Not ours. 

Wozer! This is so good. As I prayed for what story to do next in the, "What is Christian Discipleship?" series, this was not what I thought would be the next story, but oh my! I am so glad the Bridegroom slowed me down to listen to His voice. I believe this story will be digging deeper roots in me!

How to create a story in motion

I was asked today if I would share how I create story in motions. I share in this video why creating a story in motion is beneficial and how I do it. I would love to hear from you if there is something you do different or find beneficial! 🙂

He stooped to draw in the dirt

I have been asked to teach on John 8:1-11 and this morning as I studied it once again, I was caught by the beauty of God once again through His Son. 

This controversial passage has been debated on whether it should be in the final canon of Scripture. One thing is certain. The character of Jesus depicted in this story is consistent with the whole counsel of God. It teaches and convicts.

It is when the religious leaders bring the adulterous woman to Jesus to be stoned. These accusers were eye-witnesses who caught her in the "act" of sexual sin. 

After asking my typical questions, I was caught by the word "stooped." Upon hearing their accusation and question, Jesus stooped down and wrote in the dirt as if He didn't hear them. 

A holy pause.

A humble position.

Something powerful happens in intense moments when we just add a holy pause and humble position. 

It allows the emotional or intense one to hear the echo of their own words.

It allows the one receiving contempt or accusations to see the posture of the one who can condemn them. 

He was bent low just like her.

When the accusers continued to press in asking questions. Jesus stood up. He met them eye to eye. Face to face. He wanted His words to be on their level. "He who is without sin may cast the first stone." Jesus faced the evil in them head on. It deserved face to face confrontation because they were not considering their own sin in this offense.

Then he "stooped" again now covering their shame as well as hers as He drew in the dirt. Allowing them to save face.

One by one from the oldest to the youngest they left. Jesus didn't watch. He just drew in the dirt feeling the effects of a crowd's noise slowly becoming silence.

Then Jesus raised himself up and asked, "Woman, is there no one to accuse you?"

She said, "No one."

Do not miss this. Jesus was the one who could accuse her. He is who they brought her to. 

But she felt safe with Him. 

Why? 

It was His posture.

He stooped low. He didn't stand over her. He knelt down to where she sat and in his stooping he covered her shame.

He knew her sin. He told her, "to go sin no more." Yet, He didn't stand over her condemning. He knelt in the dirt with her.

Do you understand that this short story is a simple telling of what God did for mankind.  

The Creator of heaven and earth stooped down to come to earth to be on our level. 

And as the accuser comes to accuse us, our Creator, stands up and faces off our accuser. 

Our Creator then stoops again with us until we understand that no one can accuse us because He has covered our shame.

Now go and sin no more. 

It is so important to be in the Word, to be with Jesus, to be transformed.

Shalom y'all!

Mighty Throng of Women

"The LORD announces the word, and the women who proclaimed it are a mighty throng." (Ps. 68:11).

I have been reading through the Bible since 1992 and God still surprises me with His Word.

Today, I am caught by the fact that this passage says women!  Wait!  Women are the proclaimers of the Word given by God. Hmmm.

I had to go do some research. Does it really say women in the original language?

First, we need to know that the author is King David. This is a Psalm talking about God leading the nation of Israel in victory.

Second, we must note that God is the One giving the word.  The word here for word is good news or the word we get evangelism from.

Third, a battle has happened. The enemy has scattered and God has protected the vulnerable ones.

Fourth, it is the women who proclaimed this good news.

So, why are women the proclaimers? 

Well, consider when the men went off to war, the women stayed home waiting for their return. Upon their arrival the women would set up the celebration and declare the good news. This might have included songs, dance, food, and praising God for what He had accomplished. They would go out celebrating and declaring to everyone about what God had done to bring back their men and that the enemy scattered.

The women would be the frontline in declaring the good news of victory.

With that said I still wanted to know if the Hebrew text said women. It did. In Hebrew this word was feminine plural and a feminine suffix. It was meant to be women. Some translations will use the word "those" but it was meant to be women.

"The LORD announces a word and the women who proclaimed it are a mighty throng."

Immediately, my mind goes to Matthew 28:1-10 and Luke 24:1-10. God chose women as His first messengers in spreading the goodness of Jesus.

I am a part of the mighty throng of women who proclaim the Good News of the victory we have in Jesus.

This verse so ministered to me today. I hope it encourages you or causes you to go encourage the women who are faithful around you.

It is so important to be in the Word, to be with Jesus, so we can be transformed.

Shalom, y'all! 

In the Name of Jesus

God never ceases to amaze. Honestly, I wonder at God allowing me to do what I do. As I prepared, I thought, why did I add this story in Acts 3:1-10 to my To Go and To Grow workbook? There isn't as much depth as I would like and then to top it off it was the week I was to teach them the process of an I AM POEM.

Once again, God taught me a lesson. LOL. Since, I was teaching them a poem strategy I didn't want to spend time with them creating the ONE WORD OUTLINE so I sat down to do it. As I created the divisions and wrote my simple outline, I noticed that the very middle phrase was in the Name of Jesus. Now, I froze and got goosebumps. It doesn't happen often but on occasion when I create my ONE WORD OUTLINE God will allow me to catch a hint in English what the chaism in Hebrew might be. The Hebrew writers would write a story so that the very middle will reveal the key point of the story. 

For this story, it is so important for us to know and catch that Peter is not the giver of the healing. Peter is not the focus. It is Jesus. This was so important for the early church testimony to the Jews. What was happening was all done in the Name of Jesus! Jesus is ALL POWERFUL. 

Of course, I know this but to catch it in a story that I was grousing at myself for choosing humbled me and delighted me in Jesus. He is sooo cool. I love it when He just shuts me up and shows me His glory.

They loved it! As we did the poem, God so caught them off guard. One lady said to me, "Teacher, I didn't know I could approach Scripture with my emotions. I thought I could only look at it for knowledge. This is so much deeper." We discussed that both knowledge and emotion are important in studying God's Word. We cannot emphasize one or the other. 

Another said, "I will use this with my family." I love this so much. She brought up how it helped reveal the faith.

This brought about the discussion of whose faith was the focus? The lame man, Peter, or the crowd? We discussed that after denying Christ Peter needed to have his own faith strengthened as he became a leader for the new church. Imagine what it did to Peter after reaching out and grabbing the man's right hand to see him dance and praise God!

Y'all, it is so important to be in the Word, be with Jesus, so we can be transformed.

Shalom, y'all!