Image from Instagram
Showing posts with label Inspirationals. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Inspirationals. Show all posts
Thursday, May 15, 2014
Wednesday, April 10, 2013
Praise you in the storm
I will Lord. whatever happens. I will still praise you. I will give thanks for you have said in your word, in everything give thanks.
Tuesday, April 2, 2013
The Impossible Is Possible
Written by Harold Herring
10. God does not change His mind. . .there is no expiration date on His promises.
9.
“Do just once what others say you can’t do and you will never pay
attention to their limitations again.” John Mason from my book “Great
Minds At Work.”
8.
You have been enabled, empowered and energized by the greatest force in
the universe to achieve what others may think impossible…but not you.
7.
The enemy will do everything possible to discourage and dishearten
you...from achieving what God wants to do in and through you…beginning
today.
6. TNT can have explosive results in your life when you do things Today Not Tomorrow (TNT).
5. Your response to adversity is directly proportional to the amount of time you spend in the Word.
4.
If you don’t like the way your world is at the moment, change it. God
has given you the ability to change your direction and your destiny.
3.
God's got your back...in every step you take (Deuteronomy 31:8)...He's
watching over you (Psalm 32:8). Don't allow the enemy to make you think
otherwise.
2. Excuses about why you can't do something...won't impress God or anybody else for that matter.
1. If you’re afraid of what’s going to happen. . .you’re not listening to the One who makes things happen.
Sunday, February 17, 2013
Salaray or Reward?
~sharing what I got from my e-mail this morning~
“Beware of practicing your piety before others in order to be seen by them;
for then you have no reward from your Father in heaven.”
Matthew 6:1
I have a monthly salary that compensates my work. It is a fixed amount. From this amount taxes are withheld, tithes and offerings are given, bills are paid, basic necessities are bought, assistance is given to those in need and whatever is left goes to a savings account.
Way above my salary are heavenly blessings. It is a non-fixed amount . These include fullness of life, health, an incredibly loving family, deep peace, boundless joy, fulfillment, a thrilling vocation, an eternal inheritance and so on. It is infinitely more valuable than my salary.
The Gospel today offers us a choice: human compensation or heavenly reward. If you give alms, pray or fast for public approval, then the applause is your compensation. If you give alms, pray or fast in secret, a heavenly reward awaits. Do the math: which would you prefer? This Lent, give alms secretly. Pray more in secret. Fast secretly. As you do so, prepare yourself for immeasurable rewards from heaven! - Moses of The Living Water.
Lord, I want to know You, love You and serve You more this Lent. Help me to give more alms, pray more and fast more – secretly – in the coming weeks.
Amen.
WISE WORDS: “Success lies, not in achieving what you aim at, but in aiming at what you ought to achieve, and pressing forward, sure of achievement here,
or of not here, hereafter.” - Robert Forman Horton
“Beware of practicing your piety before others in order to be seen by them;
for then you have no reward from your Father in heaven.”
Matthew 6:1
I have a monthly salary that compensates my work. It is a fixed amount. From this amount taxes are withheld, tithes and offerings are given, bills are paid, basic necessities are bought, assistance is given to those in need and whatever is left goes to a savings account.
Way above my salary are heavenly blessings. It is a non-fixed amount . These include fullness of life, health, an incredibly loving family, deep peace, boundless joy, fulfillment, a thrilling vocation, an eternal inheritance and so on. It is infinitely more valuable than my salary.
The Gospel today offers us a choice: human compensation or heavenly reward. If you give alms, pray or fast for public approval, then the applause is your compensation. If you give alms, pray or fast in secret, a heavenly reward awaits. Do the math: which would you prefer? This Lent, give alms secretly. Pray more in secret. Fast secretly. As you do so, prepare yourself for immeasurable rewards from heaven! - Moses of The Living Water.
Lord, I want to know You, love You and serve You more this Lent. Help me to give more alms, pray more and fast more – secretly – in the coming weeks.
Amen.
WISE WORDS: “Success lies, not in achieving what you aim at, but in aiming at what you ought to achieve, and pressing forward, sure of achievement here,
or of not here, hereafter.” - Robert Forman Horton
Thursday, January 10, 2013
Monday, September 24, 2012
Psalm 23:6
There is power in what you say, power in declaration and we've been singing this verse and declaring it in our lives. And we believe that surely..it will come to pass :)
image source : google :D
image source : google :D
Tuesday, August 28, 2012
Worship instead of worrying!
"You can not worry and worship at the same time" Thank you for reminding me Lord.
Just want to share with you this devotional I read on my mail from Joel Osteen. God spoke to me through this because He knows I've been worrying a lot in the past few days. Be blessed!
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Just want to share with you this devotional I read on my mail from Joel Osteen. God spoke to me through this because He knows I've been worrying a lot in the past few days. Be blessed!
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
|
Wednesday, June 6, 2012
Soul Surfer
Of course, you don't want something bad happening in any member of your family right? I always worry about road accidents because we do often ride a motorbike ( although my husband make sure that we wear our motorcycle helmets when we go out and ride but still it does not ensure us that nothing wrong is going to happen.) But what if something terribly wrong happened? How will you face it?
The soul surfer "Bethany Hamilton" was attacked by a shark in one of her surfing days and she lost her left arm but that didn't stop her from going back to her board and the water. Her determination and her faith is very inspiring. It's a very good movie.
I am hoping I can get hold of the book also. I would definitely love to read it. One of my favorite quote in the movie is this "I don't know why terrible things happen to us sometimes. But I have to believe something good is going to come out of this."-Sarah Hill
I know something good is going to come out in my current situation now :)
Enjoy the movie or the book everyone !
Monday, June 4, 2012
What to Do When You Have No Way Out
By Phil Cooke
I’ll never forget the experience of being fired. I was 36 years old, with a wife and two small children. After telling my wife Kathleen, we sat on the bed, cried a little, and realized there was no way out. But looking back today, I can see the jolt of that experience was the best thing that could have ever happened. Shortly afterwards, we began the greatest journey of change we had ever experienced, because I had hit a wall. I had no other choice, and there was only one answer—change or die. Perhaps you’ve hit your wall. Maybe you’ve been fired, divorced, financially ruined, hit bottom from substance abuse, been humiliated, experienced failure, or had a close call with death. If your life has been completely turned upside down, and you’re at the end of your rope, then you have it easy.
That’s right—you have it easy! Doing the research for my book on how to change your life called “Jolt!” I discovered that the most difficult aspect of changing your life is beginning – taking the first step. Most people rest on their laurels, take the easy way out, rationalize their options—anything—to keep from changing. If you’ve hit your wall and have no other options, then your decision is already made. Your choice has been decided and you’re on the way up! But if you haven’t quite hit bottom yet and been jolted into reality, the choice is going to be much tougher.
Your arguments might include: Sure I’m frustrated with my job, but at least it’s a paycheck, and a lot of people are out of work right now. I’m not really drinking that much, and after all, I could quit just about any time. Oh, I dreamed about a different life, but that was a kid’s dream. It’s not really something that’s realistic for me to pursue now. I could advance faster if I got my college degree, but I work all day, so why should I spend my evenings going to class? I could go on and on. I don’t know your particular frustration, but I’m sure you have a million excuses for why you’ve never begun your journey to change. You haven’t hit your particular wall, so your life could easily go on for years, maybe your whole life, before you realize you’ve traded your dreams for a shallow, empty copy.
“The absence of alternatives clears the mind marvelously.” – Former Secretary of State Henry Kissinger
The truth is, as long as we see any other way out, very few of us will muster the will to make real change happen. But the good news is, hitting a wall can be your ticket to freedom because it forces you to change course and to do it now. A friend thought he was doing fine until doctors discovered he had developed cancer of the esophagus. His treatment and recovery forced him to leave his business and literally took him out of everything for more than four years. Thinking his career was over, he nearly gave up. But hitting that wall jolted him, and the experience completely changed his perspective on life. As a result, he’s transformed his thinking about his purpose for living, and guess what? His cancer even went into remission and he’s back at work.
Whatever your wall—getting fired, losing your home, receiving the medical diagnosis you’ve dreaded, closing your business, bankruptcy, divorce, whatever—it doesn’t have to be the end. As terrible as the wall may be, you can overcome it if you use the moment to jolt you back to reality. You have to face the fact that circumstances won’t change until you change. Family members won’t change until you change. Your job won’t change until you change. And your future will never change until you make a decision. Embrace the wall. Let it help you focus your mind and face the real truth about your situation.
Phil Cooke has produced media programming in more than 40 countries around the world, and in the process, been shot at, survived two military coups, fell out of a helicopter, and in Africa, been threatened with prison. And during that time, he's helped some of the largest non-profit organizations in the world navigate periods of dramatic disruption and change.
 |
| image source : google |
I’ll never forget the experience of being fired. I was 36 years old, with a wife and two small children. After telling my wife Kathleen, we sat on the bed, cried a little, and realized there was no way out. But looking back today, I can see the jolt of that experience was the best thing that could have ever happened. Shortly afterwards, we began the greatest journey of change we had ever experienced, because I had hit a wall. I had no other choice, and there was only one answer—change or die. Perhaps you’ve hit your wall. Maybe you’ve been fired, divorced, financially ruined, hit bottom from substance abuse, been humiliated, experienced failure, or had a close call with death. If your life has been completely turned upside down, and you’re at the end of your rope, then you have it easy.
That’s right—you have it easy! Doing the research for my book on how to change your life called “Jolt!” I discovered that the most difficult aspect of changing your life is beginning – taking the first step. Most people rest on their laurels, take the easy way out, rationalize their options—anything—to keep from changing. If you’ve hit your wall and have no other options, then your decision is already made. Your choice has been decided and you’re on the way up! But if you haven’t quite hit bottom yet and been jolted into reality, the choice is going to be much tougher.
Your arguments might include: Sure I’m frustrated with my job, but at least it’s a paycheck, and a lot of people are out of work right now. I’m not really drinking that much, and after all, I could quit just about any time. Oh, I dreamed about a different life, but that was a kid’s dream. It’s not really something that’s realistic for me to pursue now. I could advance faster if I got my college degree, but I work all day, so why should I spend my evenings going to class? I could go on and on. I don’t know your particular frustration, but I’m sure you have a million excuses for why you’ve never begun your journey to change. You haven’t hit your particular wall, so your life could easily go on for years, maybe your whole life, before you realize you’ve traded your dreams for a shallow, empty copy.
“The absence of alternatives clears the mind marvelously.” – Former Secretary of State Henry Kissinger
The truth is, as long as we see any other way out, very few of us will muster the will to make real change happen. But the good news is, hitting a wall can be your ticket to freedom because it forces you to change course and to do it now. A friend thought he was doing fine until doctors discovered he had developed cancer of the esophagus. His treatment and recovery forced him to leave his business and literally took him out of everything for more than four years. Thinking his career was over, he nearly gave up. But hitting that wall jolted him, and the experience completely changed his perspective on life. As a result, he’s transformed his thinking about his purpose for living, and guess what? His cancer even went into remission and he’s back at work.
Whatever your wall—getting fired, losing your home, receiving the medical diagnosis you’ve dreaded, closing your business, bankruptcy, divorce, whatever—it doesn’t have to be the end. As terrible as the wall may be, you can overcome it if you use the moment to jolt you back to reality. You have to face the fact that circumstances won’t change until you change. Family members won’t change until you change. Your job won’t change until you change. And your future will never change until you make a decision. Embrace the wall. Let it help you focus your mind and face the real truth about your situation.
Phil Cooke has produced media programming in more than 40 countries around the world, and in the process, been shot at, survived two military coups, fell out of a helicopter, and in Africa, been threatened with prison. And during that time, he's helped some of the largest non-profit organizations in the world navigate periods of dramatic disruption and change.
Tuesday, January 31, 2012
David's heart
I've been reading on Psalms and I am learning a lot on David's life and is amazed by his heart. In the midst of his enemies and fears and death..He gladly sang song for his God. He exalted HIM and praise Him and never doubted that God is able to deliver him.
I want that kind of heart. I want my heart to be overflowing with songs and praises to my Father who loves me greatly.
Even in times of need and testings I want a heart that is steadfast. A heart that does not doubt on God's love and grace and power. Oh how I pray I'll have that kind of heart too.
Because I admit that mostly on my testing times..I doubt..I worry and I rely on my self and I know that should not be the case. I should learn to really surrender everything and make HIM in charge of everything in my life (like David did)
God has been David's refuge and shelter and comforter (when he was hiding from Saul)
that's why he was able to sing and praise the Lord even if he was hiding and running.
I pray I can have David's heart and attitude and not fret (like what I mostly do) when being tested. It's a shame I know. Thank God that HE is dealing with me in that aspect.
Now I am learning to come to God first and foremost when in need (and not wish that some gold coins fall from heaven to supply for that need) I am learning to consult HIM in everything-even small as it seems ( like what to say to someone or should I go there or not) after all God should be in control in every details of our lives right?
image source : God's wonders
Tuesday, November 8, 2011
Rich Thoughts of the Week
I get this once a week in my email and I just thought it's good to share...
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
10. Disappointment is the day...the person you became meets the person you could have been. It's too late to change...the results of that meeting.
9. Your response to adversity is directly proportional to the amount of time you spend in the Word.
8. TNT can have explosive results in your life when you do things TODAY NOT TOMORROW.
7. A “hot” investment tip will get you burned! If the deal seems too good to be true, believe me, it is.
6. Withholding your seed from God is not only unprofitable. It’s foolish. You're keeping what doesn't even belong to you (Haggai 2:8).
5. God's got your back...in every step you take (Deuteronomy 31:8)...He's watching over you (Psalm 32:8). Don't allow the enemy to make you think otherwise.
4. If you don’t like the way your world is at the moment, change it. God has given you the ability to change your direction and your destiny.
3. Today, we can follow God’s instructions and reap the benefits, or we can ignore God’s instructions and suffer the consequences.
2. If you’re afraid of what’s going to happen. . .you’re not listening to the One who makes things happen.
1. Excuses about why you can't do something...won't impress God or anybody else for that matter.
Rich Thoughts - by H. Herring
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
10. Disappointment is the day...the person you became meets the person you could have been. It's too late to change...the results of that meeting.
9. Your response to adversity is directly proportional to the amount of time you spend in the Word.
8. TNT can have explosive results in your life when you do things TODAY NOT TOMORROW.
7. A “hot” investment tip will get you burned! If the deal seems too good to be true, believe me, it is.
6. Withholding your seed from God is not only unprofitable. It’s foolish. You're keeping what doesn't even belong to you (Haggai 2:8).
5. God's got your back...in every step you take (Deuteronomy 31:8)...He's watching over you (Psalm 32:8). Don't allow the enemy to make you think otherwise.
4. If you don’t like the way your world is at the moment, change it. God has given you the ability to change your direction and your destiny.
3. Today, we can follow God’s instructions and reap the benefits, or we can ignore God’s instructions and suffer the consequences.
2. If you’re afraid of what’s going to happen. . .you’re not listening to the One who makes things happen.
1. Excuses about why you can't do something...won't impress God or anybody else for that matter.
Rich Thoughts - by H. Herring
Monday, October 10, 2011
Relax..
* Tranquility and inner calm blossom when you depend upon God to care for you and your loved ones
I trust in You, O Lord; I say, "You are my God" My time is in your hands. Psalm 31:14-15 NIV
Image source : Jesus is the way to heaven facebook page
Text : Simple Living for Women
Saturday, April 30, 2011
All things work together for good
Romans 8:28 (New International Version, ©2011)
"And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose"
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
And I can say it again and again that God is good! even if we are caught in a not so good situations, even if we think we are in the worst, even if we face giants and mountains of troubles. GOD is still GOOD and HE will always be.
You need not lose hope because all things work together for good to those who love God. He is always in control and if you surrender everything to Him, He will gladly help you and comfort you.
I know sometimes it's hard to see that way, sometimes it's easier to trust man whom you can see to help you and deliver you out of trouble but we have to learn that GOD is our ONLY HOPE and that HE is the God of impossible.
with that there's no reason not to give thanks and praise Him!
And because I have given up all our worries in His feet I can now sing praises and rejoice (I can even read hgh reviews now) and have peace in my heart that HE is in control!
"And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose"
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
And I can say it again and again that God is good! even if we are caught in a not so good situations, even if we think we are in the worst, even if we face giants and mountains of troubles. GOD is still GOOD and HE will always be.
You need not lose hope because all things work together for good to those who love God. He is always in control and if you surrender everything to Him, He will gladly help you and comfort you.
I know sometimes it's hard to see that way, sometimes it's easier to trust man whom you can see to help you and deliver you out of trouble but we have to learn that GOD is our ONLY HOPE and that HE is the God of impossible.
with that there's no reason not to give thanks and praise Him!
And because I have given up all our worries in His feet I can now sing praises and rejoice (I can even read hgh reviews now) and have peace in my heart that HE is in control!
Saturday, February 26, 2011
Refiner's Fire
My prayer for today ..Lord purify my heart..
Purify my heart,
let me be as gold and precious silver.
Purify my heart,
let me be as gold, pure gold.
(Chorus)
Refiner's fire,
my heart's one desire
is to be…holy;
set apart for You, Lord.
I choose to be…holy;
set apart for You, my Master,
ready to do Your will.
Purify my heart,
cleanse me from within
and make me holy.
Purify my heart,
cleanse me from my sin, deep within.
Purify my heart,
let me be as gold and precious silver.
Purify my heart,
let me be as gold, pure gold.
(Chorus)
Refiner's fire,
my heart's one desire
is to be…holy;
set apart for You, Lord.
I choose to be…holy;
set apart for You, my Master,
ready to do Your will.
Purify my heart,
cleanse me from within
and make me holy.
Purify my heart,
cleanse me from my sin, deep within.
Saturday, February 19, 2011
Seven Things I’ve Always Wanted to Say to Worship Leaders
I loved this article which was shared by a friend through facebook. This is from Fire in My Bones and is written by J.Lee Grady
~~~~~~~~~~~~
Seven Things I’ve Always Wanted to Say to Worship Leaders
We would honor God if we applied these principles to our praise.
I consider myself open-minded about worship. My tastes in music are eclectic, so I love everything from Hillsong choruses and black gospel anthems to classic hymns and Spanish worship artists Marco Barrientos and Jesús Romero. My playlist even includes Native American, Nigerian and Iranian worship.
I love any music that stirs my soul and points me to heaven, so worshipping the Lord with other believers is one of my favorite pastimes. But there are a few things I’d like to say to worship leaders. Please don’t take these comments as criticism but as encouragement from a brother who has “seen it all” when it comes to the Sunday morning drill.
“In poor countries where people struggle from hand to mouth each week, praise is so energetic that the congregation quickly moves into the aisles to dance. Yet here in the United States our worship is often stiff and way too sophisticated.”
1. Give us something to shout about! In most countries I visit, worship is an exhilarating workout. In poor countries where people struggle from hand to mouth each week, praise is so energetic that the congregation quickly moves into the aisles to dance. Yet here in the United States our worship is often stiff and way too sophisticated. What we lack in genuine zeal we substitute with technology, orchestration and hype. It’s a pitiful tradeoff.
Worship leaders must stoke the fires of spiritual passion. Don’t let the people’s hearts remain cold or stale. Exhort them to go higher. Say like the psalmist, “Praise the Lord! …Let the sons of Zion rejoice in their king. Let them praise His name with dancing. …Let the godly ones exult in glory. …Let the high praises of God be in their mouth” (Ps. 149:1-3,5,6) NASB.
2. Please give us content. Most of us packed away our hymnals 30 years ago and discovered the liberty of free-style choruses. Yet I get tired of singing the same phrase over and over—especially if that phrase has questionable theology. And we are cheating people if half of a song consists of lines like “Ooh, Ooh, Ooh!” or “Whoa, whoa, whoa!”
There’s a reason “Jesus Keep Me Near the Cross” is a classic. Its words inspire deep worship in a way that simpler songs can’t. The best solution is to mix up the playlist with both new and old songs—as well as old songs with new arrangements. If we only sing today’s trendy Top 40 we will forget where we came from.
3. Spare us the concert. True worship leaders lead rather than perform. We want you to play skillfully, but we don’t want the focus to be on you. Point us to Jesus!
Some worship leaders shift into extended periods of spontaneous worship. That’s great until you look around and realize that the congregation is sitting down while the worship leader has his eyes closed—oblivious to the fact that most people got lost 10 minutes ago. That’s not corporate worship. That’s a stage show.
4. Don’t run a song into the ground. Maybe this is just a pet peeve of mine: When a worship leader announces, “Let’s sing it one more time!” and then proceeds to sing a chorus again and again and again and again (and again and again), this is a form of lying. This happens especially with certain choruses that are like broken records—they never resolve.
If a song is so repetitive that it’s annoying, or if you can’t figure out when to stop it, just retire it. No one will ask why you don’t sing it anymore.
5. Please don’t burst my eardrums. I have a high tolerance for noise and I love rhythm. But I have been in churches where the music was so loud that my head rattled for the rest of the day. God can open deaf ears, but I don’t think we should manufacture the deafness. Have mercy on us. God doesn’t want us to drown out the sound of the people’s voices with bass guitars and subwoofers.
6. Show us the lyrics. Memo to the technical crew: We don’t have hymnals, and we don’t know the words by heart. Please don’t wait until we have sung the second verse of the song to put those words on the screen. (It would also be a good idea to have someone proofread the song lyrics. I was in a church where we were supposed to sing “Praise Him for His mighty acts,” but the Power Point slide said, “Praise Him for His mighty axe.”)
7. Honor the Word. There is nothing ruder than a worship leader who walks off the stage after the last chorus and then disappears to a side room to eat donuts. When the praise team vanishes from the church and never comes back, it sends a message to the congregation that these people don’t need to listen to the sermon. Not! Worship does not end with the last song; the last song sets the stage for the next act of worship.
I’m not a worship leader, and you wouldn’t want to hear me on a keyboard. But I believe we would honor God if we applied these principles to our praise.
******************
J. Lee Grady is the contributing editor of Charisma. You can find him on Twitter at leegrady. His latest book is 10 Lies Men Believe (Charisma House).
~~~~~~~~~~~~
Seven Things I’ve Always Wanted to Say to Worship Leaders
We would honor God if we applied these principles to our praise.
I consider myself open-minded about worship. My tastes in music are eclectic, so I love everything from Hillsong choruses and black gospel anthems to classic hymns and Spanish worship artists Marco Barrientos and Jesús Romero. My playlist even includes Native American, Nigerian and Iranian worship.
I love any music that stirs my soul and points me to heaven, so worshipping the Lord with other believers is one of my favorite pastimes. But there are a few things I’d like to say to worship leaders. Please don’t take these comments as criticism but as encouragement from a brother who has “seen it all” when it comes to the Sunday morning drill.
“In poor countries where people struggle from hand to mouth each week, praise is so energetic that the congregation quickly moves into the aisles to dance. Yet here in the United States our worship is often stiff and way too sophisticated.”
1. Give us something to shout about! In most countries I visit, worship is an exhilarating workout. In poor countries where people struggle from hand to mouth each week, praise is so energetic that the congregation quickly moves into the aisles to dance. Yet here in the United States our worship is often stiff and way too sophisticated. What we lack in genuine zeal we substitute with technology, orchestration and hype. It’s a pitiful tradeoff.
Worship leaders must stoke the fires of spiritual passion. Don’t let the people’s hearts remain cold or stale. Exhort them to go higher. Say like the psalmist, “Praise the Lord! …Let the sons of Zion rejoice in their king. Let them praise His name with dancing. …Let the godly ones exult in glory. …Let the high praises of God be in their mouth” (Ps. 149:1-3,5,6) NASB.
2. Please give us content. Most of us packed away our hymnals 30 years ago and discovered the liberty of free-style choruses. Yet I get tired of singing the same phrase over and over—especially if that phrase has questionable theology. And we are cheating people if half of a song consists of lines like “Ooh, Ooh, Ooh!” or “Whoa, whoa, whoa!”
There’s a reason “Jesus Keep Me Near the Cross” is a classic. Its words inspire deep worship in a way that simpler songs can’t. The best solution is to mix up the playlist with both new and old songs—as well as old songs with new arrangements. If we only sing today’s trendy Top 40 we will forget where we came from.
3. Spare us the concert. True worship leaders lead rather than perform. We want you to play skillfully, but we don’t want the focus to be on you. Point us to Jesus!
Some worship leaders shift into extended periods of spontaneous worship. That’s great until you look around and realize that the congregation is sitting down while the worship leader has his eyes closed—oblivious to the fact that most people got lost 10 minutes ago. That’s not corporate worship. That’s a stage show.
4. Don’t run a song into the ground. Maybe this is just a pet peeve of mine: When a worship leader announces, “Let’s sing it one more time!” and then proceeds to sing a chorus again and again and again and again (and again and again), this is a form of lying. This happens especially with certain choruses that are like broken records—they never resolve.
If a song is so repetitive that it’s annoying, or if you can’t figure out when to stop it, just retire it. No one will ask why you don’t sing it anymore.
5. Please don’t burst my eardrums. I have a high tolerance for noise and I love rhythm. But I have been in churches where the music was so loud that my head rattled for the rest of the day. God can open deaf ears, but I don’t think we should manufacture the deafness. Have mercy on us. God doesn’t want us to drown out the sound of the people’s voices with bass guitars and subwoofers.
6. Show us the lyrics. Memo to the technical crew: We don’t have hymnals, and we don’t know the words by heart. Please don’t wait until we have sung the second verse of the song to put those words on the screen. (It would also be a good idea to have someone proofread the song lyrics. I was in a church where we were supposed to sing “Praise Him for His mighty acts,” but the Power Point slide said, “Praise Him for His mighty axe.”)
7. Honor the Word. There is nothing ruder than a worship leader who walks off the stage after the last chorus and then disappears to a side room to eat donuts. When the praise team vanishes from the church and never comes back, it sends a message to the congregation that these people don’t need to listen to the sermon. Not! Worship does not end with the last song; the last song sets the stage for the next act of worship.
I’m not a worship leader, and you wouldn’t want to hear me on a keyboard. But I believe we would honor God if we applied these principles to our praise.
******************
J. Lee Grady is the contributing editor of Charisma. You can find him on Twitter at leegrady. His latest book is 10 Lies Men Believe (Charisma House).
Saturday, January 22, 2011
The reason I live?
The very reason why I live Lord is to worship you..
To worship when I am happy and sad
To worship you in spirit and truth
To worship you always
I am MADE to WORSHIP!!
When I look into Your holiness
When I gaze into Your loveliness
When all things that surround become shadows
In the light of You
When I've found the joy of reaching Your heart
When my will become enthroned in Your love
When all things that surround become shadows
In the light of You
I worship You I worship You
The reason I live is to worship You
To worship when I am happy and sad
To worship you in spirit and truth
To worship you always
I am MADE to WORSHIP!!
When I look into Your holiness
When I gaze into Your loveliness
When all things that surround become shadows
In the light of You
When I've found the joy of reaching Your heart
When my will become enthroned in Your love
When all things that surround become shadows
In the light of You
I worship You I worship You
The reason I live is to worship You
Monday, November 15, 2010
A call to Anguish
I do not know with you but this has been speaking to me since last night. I hope a lot will have the chance to hear this so I am sharing.
You can hear the whole sermon in you tube.
You can hear the whole sermon in you tube.
Friday, October 29, 2010
My soul follows hard after thee
I've been listening to this song for almost a week now, this is an old song but it blessed my heart, it motivated me to seek the Lord more. I hope this will bless your heart too!
My soul follows hard after thee
Early in the morning will I rise up and seek thee
And because thou has been my help
Under the shadow of thy wings
I will rejoice
Lord I want to praise you..praise you Lord
With all that's in my heart
~~~~~~~
My soul follows hard after thee
Early in the morning will I rise up and seek thee
And because thou has been my help
Under the shadow of thy wings
I will rejoice
Lord I want to praise you..praise you Lord
With all that's in my heart
~~~~~~~
Wednesday, October 13, 2010
Be strong!
Be strong and take courage..
do not fear or be dismayed..
for the Lord will go before you
and His light will show the way...
Sunday, October 3, 2010
Hope of all Hearts
That's my husband singing the “Hope all Hearts” from the very recent “Dinner For A Cause” This dinner is for the benefit of the SEED OF LOVE ministry.
This ministry helps sick children in the Philippine General Hospital (PGH) through ministering to them, visitation and prayers and occasional gift giving and financial assistance. Health insurance like the one from Blue Cross Blue Shield North Carolina is alien to these people and they badly need help. Most of the patients here belong to the poorest of the poor here in Metro Manila and from all over the country. I’ve visited twice and both visits broke my heart.
I pray they’ll find their HOPE in JESUS.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)