Exploring meaning

There was a good question raised last week in a comment and today I want to explore the answer. As I was blogging the things that stood out to me from the Church Planting Congress I found myself often using the phrase "Alerting people to the reign of God" a phrase I learned at the conference.

Here is the question,"Tell me more about 'the Reign of God'? What does that mean?"

Mike Frost was the one who got me hooked on this phrase -" Alerting people around us to the reign of God." The way I see it, here are some other ways I could say this - Show people the way of God's Kingdom - Be Jesus where we go.
Matt 10:7-9 Jesus tells his disciples "As you go, preach this message: 'The kingdom of heaven is near.' Heal the sick, raise the dead, cleanse those who have leprosy, drive out demons. Freely you have received, freely give."
And in Ephesians 1 Paul also tells of what we Alert people to " our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us in the heavenly realms with every spiritual blessing in Christ. ..he chose us in him before the creation of the world ...he predestined us to be adopted as his sons through Jesus Christ ...his glorious grace, which he has freely given us ... redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of sins, ...he made known to us the mystery of his will ....to bring all things in heaven and on earth together under one head, even Christ."

When we who know the freedom, salvation, grace, forgiveness, peace, love, purpose, supernatural go out from our safe homes and places of gathering(ie.church) we may be the only Jesus that pre-Christians ever see. So we need to speak about what Jesus Kingdom brings and we need to let our lives show it.

I love the example that was giving of this; when we go to the theater there is always a trailer for a new movie coming out. Well our lives need to be a trailer for the kingdom. The full length movie is coming in the end of time but until then our lives show glimpses of what is to come, We need to be true representatives for the kingdom. We need to live lives that make people want to be there, lives that point people to Jesus.

So the "Reign of God" is evident in all his wonderfulness that we see happen and all that we know he has promised.

That is how I would explain it. Anyone have thoughts to add or questions?

#7 The people

This is the last post of a weeks worth of blogging about what I learned/gained at Renov8 the Church planting Congress in Calgary.
I saved the best for last. The best thing in all this was the relationships that got built and the people I met face to face. This is one thing the Internet can not do as much as we try.
- I meet a couple with 6 boys, 2 of which were 4 month old twins. We only talked for 20 minutes, and likely will never talk again but in that time a bond is created. They are heading to Medicine Hat in Spring, Lord willing, to plant a church. I was blessed by meeting them.
- Sitting around a table with complete strangers, many of which are way out of my league in knowledge and practice of faith, but yet you know me I got right into the discussions regardless. I liked that discussion a lot, we talked about how to add to our numbers daily those who are being saved.
- Having a FUN late at night at Denny's
- Getting to know the EMMCers that came from Ontario and Belize and Mexico.
- The conversations on that long bus ride, some 16 hours I think, getting to know people from all over the province that care about God's mission for the church.
- I made a lot of friends, I'd like to list all the friends I made but I won't, afraid I'd miss some:)
- Plus Ben and I got to do all this together.

Thanks to all those involved in getting us there.

#6 Friend of Sinners

Last session by Mike Frost - The number one non-negotiable in church planting is - Jesus is our reference point.
Jesus is the root and example of all we do, yes it's true what you learned at age 3 in Sunday School, the answer to all questions is "JESUS". Oh and in case you're wondering this is not just for labeled "church planters", I think we can safely say Jesus is the reference point for all of his disciples. Kinda a no brainer...right? .... but wait, read on.
Jesus was a friend of "sinners" and "Holy people" didn't like him very much.
I think the reason this point about Jesus being our reference point is so important is because we have this thing switched around, we the disciples of Jesus, too often, have become people-pleasers to the "holy people" and we have alienate ourselves from "sinners". The total opposite of what Jesus did. Why is this? I think one reason is we are afraid of looking bad, looking like a "sinner" to the other "holy people". The whole way we have identified ourselves as different from the worldly has often been associated to who we hang with and where we hang. We have this mental list of where it's "Ok" for Christians to be and where it's not and we judge people and forget- Jesus would have been in the Bar too.
So when we think of reaching people with grace and truth we have to be like Jesus, and not let the fear of what it might look like stop us from bringing the kingdom into places that "sinners" gather. Besides let's get over it, we're all sinners.

#5 Wagdi Iskander

There can't have been a soul in the auditorium that was not captivated by Wagdi Iskander's testimony and challenge. In my opinion he was the most moving and challenging presenter of the week.
I was trying to summarize his testimony(struggling to do so)so instead I found this written about him which will give you an idea of his story.(read the full article here)

Iskander grew up in northern Sudan,.. Although he was not a devout Muslim in his youth, he said he harboured bitterness toward Christians, especially one Muslim convert who shared Christ with him.

"I used to hate him," Iskander said. "But he cared about me and showed me the love of Christ." ... After Iskander completed his university degree and began working as an accountant in Khartoum, his friend continued witnessing to him.

"I was looking for forgiveness, but I didn't know where to find forgiveness," Iskander says. "But when my friend showed me the love of Christ, I found forgiveness and became a Christian." As a result, he was estranged from his family; some family members think he is dead. He also spent more than three months in prison. Although he was released, two of his friends imprisoned in the same jail were killed.

He challenged us to reach out to Muslims, in fact he is so passionate for the church to grow among his people that he has resigned his life, even to martyrdom, to advance the mission of God. He said he'd die for the church! It was a very powerful ending. Many people could not exit the sanctuary, they remained in their seats, searching their hearts for even a shred of courage that Wagdi portrayed.

We are planning on getting the Audio recording of this session for the church library, so if any local readers have an interest in hearing this session for yourself check the EMMC Library some time in the near future.

#4 After all this was a church planting congress

If you've been following my blog this week you'll know where I'm heading again today. I am sharing things I learned from the Church Planting Congress in Calgary, which was put on by Church planting Canada. The funny thing is, you may or may not have noticed, Considering the topic, I haven't actually said anything about church planting, well not specifically anyway. There are a few reasons for this, firstly, the congress was mostly focused on Church Planting in an urban setting(I found that hard to connect with, but I could connect it to my existing church and community involvement). Secondly, this conference blew my mind open as to what church planting is all about, so church plant talk doesn't look like it used to. The phrase was said -We used to know what church planting looked like, we Just took what worked well in one community and replicated it all over the place, but now it's different. To reach people we have to be relevant to their neighborhood. So the things I have learned may not look like church plant talk but they are... or so I've learned - this is all very new to me. There was a concentrated focus on being sent into your neighborhood as opposed to being sent to a new location, which of course was pretty much the only way I thought about church planting before the congress. This is not to say that going out to a new location is not needed, I'm just saying they didn't talk about it a lot. My mind was opened to how I can be a church planter right here and how I can use these things I've learned to enhance the church I belong to. One phrase I will leave you with today is Again from Mike Frost "We're not in the business of planting churches.(how ironic) We're not in the business of expanding our denomination. The Goal of Christian Mission is to Alert people to the reign of God." "God is the sent and the sending one and there is no such thing as an unsent Christian. Your mission is not inward."

I hope you could follow my ramblings today.

#3 Brain Numbing Risk Averse Society

Some friends of mine from the Build a Village team are heading to El Salvador in a few days to stand in solidarity with their friends who have lost nearly everything in a recent disaster. When they told me about the risks and danger involved in this trip I was telling them not to go, "You are unwise. Use your head. Be safe" But they were certain God had called them no matter what the risks and dangers. The day after saying this to them I was sitting in a safe cushioned seat at the renov8 Church planting Congress, again listening to Juliet Kilpin. And she says "Fear is rapidly affecting the church." She was saying that God is not about safety he is about his mission, alerting people to his reign. Fear was a poison I had been letting in especially in this area of blessing my friend to enter the danger zone. ... I had forgotten. We live in a "brain numbing risk averse society", Juliet said and this is resonated with me because it is something I have long been ranting against. Society is becoming too dictating on the safety issue, too safe and too afraid to let us take risks, so much that it is slowly rendering us ineffective in God's mission and leaving us terrified to try anything new or different. I had been objecting to societies suffocating risk aversion yet unknowingly becoming part of encouraging it, which was made obvious as I let my fears rule my words for my friends going into El Salvador. You may not go to El Salvador or move far from your community but I want to encourage you, go out, take the risks, don't let fear stop you from reaching out with God's mission. That is what I was reminded of and will endeavor to live out. Even if we return in body bags let's go where God calls us.
Are you willing?

#2 Has the church become too important?

One thing from Juliet Kilpin:
She was bold - "Sell your church building."

Her point is that we get too caught up in thinking that "church" only happens in the building and what happens in the building has to be restricted to certain activities. She points out that if we are limited by the building then that will hinder God's mission for the church(the body of Christ).
It was talked about that real church is in the community of believers sent to do God's mission, alerting people to the reign of God. Church can happen anywhere, on a school ground, a youth center, my home or yours, the restaurant for lunch, seniors center, the bar, the park, any place that God's people live and speak out God's mission and this can happen in multiple ways that reach the heart of a target group of people.
It seems so often that we Christians enjoy the safety and security of our building and don't get out in the trenches of life with people enough.
Did she really mean it(sell your church)? I think she did. I know it's not right for all but what is right is to rethink our church building use and how active we are outside it's four walls.

Do you think Juliet is crazy?

Renov8

Just got back from 'Renov8' a gathering of church leaders learning to advance our understanding of church and our passion to be missional -- a Church Planting congress. It was a fabulous event, I was overloaded, inspired, crushed, energized, exhausted, challenged, opened, pulled deeper into Jesus and sent out. If you are a regular reader of my blog you know I do not like long posts, though in this case I am tempted to just write all my thoughts out in one splatter, quotes of Mike frost and Wagdi Iskander, plans that bubble in my head, and challenges I want to share ..... but No won't do it, I think I will try something different, for one week I am going to blog everyday something that stood out.

#1 Alerting people around us to the reign of God
Mike Frost was a very intriguing speaker, he says the goal of Christian Mission is to alert people to the reign of God, and he says it seems for too long Christians have reduced christian mission to evangelism, but it is more we must go out like Jesus proclaiming the good news of the kingdom of God. Announcing it and demonstrating it.
If I asked you(my Christian readers), what is your mission in life, what would you say? Is your mission grounded in God?

kids no flushy

Are you one of those parents that complains about your kids not flushing the toilet? You nag your kids day in and day out, but nothing changes?
I am a creative thinker and this spreads into our parenting too. You sometimes just have to find different ways to get through to the kids
Here is one I did recently. You might wanna try it, but don't tell them it was my idea.

We have dog as most of you know and he is large, ok he's not only large but he's hairy, lots of fur around his chin and mouth area. Since he is so big, when the toilet lid is open it is the perfect bowl height for him to quench his thirst in. Even though he has his own water bowl right next to the toilet, for some reason the savage beast prefers the toilet water. Not such a big deal maybe if that water was constantly fresh and in a clean toilet bowl. But that's not at our house. Now for any mother(or father for that matter) who has spent the last decade of his or her life working at ways to keep the house somewhat clean and fresh smelling, like I have, would agree that when toilet odor walks into the room you are comfortably lounging in, it's enough to make you crack. Crack down on the problem.
The problem
- kids no flushy
- kids no put lid down
- dog does as dogs do(very disgusting creatures)
- dog drink poo water
- dog fur near mouth soaked in smelly water
- dog drip water all over house
- poo smell wafting through the house
- mom smells it
- mom sees dog with wet face
- mom not going to nag again
- mom has fresh idea
....and so I got up from my spot, grabbed a paper, a marker, and some strong tape. I wrote a note and marched to the bathroom with no announcement of my actions.

Fast forward 1 hour-- Seraya went dashing to the bathroom, hand in position to prevent leakage, she paused to investigate my vandalism of the toilet, while dancing the pee dance. In dismay she looked at me with disbelief "but,..but,... mom!"

The note read:

Do you need a Jillian?

I want to tell you why I love the show "The Biggest Loser" If you don't know this show it is another reality show that takes up peoples real time(like mine and Ben's), with other peoples "real" lives. :).... Hey but Ben and I have had so much fun together watching a few episodes, plus I've got an insight from it. (If you don't like the show I may have just dropped a few rating points -but oh well)
On the show there are people who are obese - really,really over weight- and they want to loose weight but have lost the power to do it on their own. There are two trainers on this show who motivate them to exercise. Their names are Bob and Jillian. Jillian in particular is very firm with them ... that might be putting it little mild - She's mean. She'll work them until they cry, want to give up or throw up. She is totally insane all over them. I think the first impression you might get of Jillian is that she is really awful, but then you see how the show contestants start to change and actually go back for more of her. They want her to push them, they need her to whip them into shape because otherwise they wouldn't do it. This got me thinking about something, with my spiritual growth. I try so hard on my own to change things that I want to change but I don't, I come up with excuses and believe them. I feel like I need a Jillian to help motivate me to change those things I just am too lazy to change. If I had a Jillian on my back yelling at me and not letting me excuse my way out, time and time again, I think I would change. I also want to be a Jillian, I want to help people get real and affective in their faith and be right with God.
I've been a mentor to others and had mentors since Bible school and they've all been good and helped me grow but nothing like a Jillian, I think us Christians are just too nice to each other sometimes, we keep sympathizing with each others struggles, which of coarse is good but somehow in a loving way can't we get into each others space and face and maybe get ticked off enough to move from our comfort zones. I wonder how I would really respond to a tough mentor?
Now you know the only way Jillian has any credibility on the show is because she is in really good shape, right? I guess that is why it is so hard to be the one to get into some one's face on spiritual matters, because we ourselves have to be credible, walking the talk.
Face to face it's hard to be tough, besides some people would not appreciate this approach so maybe I won't go all "Jillian" on you in person but in this blog I can. It's really up to you if you come and read, and no one has to take it personally. :)
Question for you:
Do you sometimes wish you had someone who cared enough about your spiritual growth that they would get in your face on some issues?

Honest + Open = Vulnerable + Free

Why? Why do I open up my life on the world wide web? Why open up to anyone at all? Is there a difference in how open one should be, blogging or in person? What kind of openness, vulnerability or transparency is appropriate or acceptable on a blog?
or Maybe if you don't have a blog, how vulnerable or transparent should you be with others?

I find it funny that I have a blog were I talk about personal things, things that leave me vulnerable. Why? Why on earth would I tell you, strangers and friends alike, all this stuff about me and my life? Then I sometimes wonder, Where do I get off thinking people actually care about my writings? Do I really have anything worth while to say? --- don't answer that! I guess you are the only ones who know the answers to why you read but for me, why do I write my stories here for the world to read? Why am I honest about what's in my life? I started thinking about this when I had someone tell me that they would never share openly on the Internet, they just read other peoples comments on facebook and blogs, but they don't let people know where they are at; not their strengths or their weaknesses. I felt sorry for this person because the best thing, the most freeing thing, I have ever done in my life is to share my greatest weaknesses openly. I think being real and honest about life is very freeing and it does leave you vulnerable at times, but I don't have to pretend to be someone I'm not and wear a mask. For me blogging is part of this, it helps me feel free.
But that said I still don't write everything here.. **a grateful sigh is heard across the land**
This is how I decide what to write, I either am going about my day and I have a thought or an experience that I instantly know I need to blog or I know it's time to blog so I sit down, start writing until something worth posting comes to the surface. Not everything I want to say do I write ***another grateful sigh is heard across the land**
So I blog and that's for me .... Some of you don't, so why do you choose to be open and vulnerable with people in real life? Or why are you not open with people?(if you'll share) And some of you do blog, what about you? Why do you do it?
How vulnerable are you? Have you found that being real, becoming unmasked is freeing?

Christmas on the Brain

I don't know if you've started thinking about Christmas yet, but it has been on my mind a little these days. We are trying to think creatively about our gift giving this year, gifts that don't add to the commercialization of Jesus Birth, and this takes a little more time than going with the allotted cash up to the nearest mega store just so there'll be "stuff" under the tree. Last year we found this site called Advent Conspiracy, their slogan is "Christmas can [still] change the world", and change it for the better, not the worse. Maybe your kids are like mine; I know my kids say the meaning of Christmas is Jesus and that that is why we celebrate but why then is it that they have already begun making their wish lists, wouldn't this show that subconsciously they have learned the meaning of Christmas is "more for me"? When did Christmas change to this and how do we change it back? These are some of the things Advent Conspiracy helps people work through. Check it out if you also want to change Christmas.
Advent Conspiracy links:
Advent Conspiracy
rethinking christmas

A Different Kind of King

Ben has started a sermon series this fall, on the book of Matthew. Matthews stories says a lot about how we have a different kind of king than any earthy king or leader, different than the Jews were expecting. Jesus our savior and king comes to us and relates to us different than we expected.
Join Ben on his blog to go deeper into the study of Matthew, if your not local join in by following the blog and listen to the messages via the church web site(The messages are usually up mid-week).
This past Sunday Ben, conveyed to us that God does fulfill his promises and he is at work and this is what he taught from Matt. 1:1-17. If you're not looking it up I'll tell you this is the genealogy of Jesus. I was really amazed how Ben pulled such a great message out of what I normally skim over out of fear of boredom.
God is amazing all glory to Him.

September 18

Here are some words from the Apostle Paul.

Be kind and compassionate to one another, forgiving each other, just as the Christ God forgave you. Be imitators of God, therefore, as dearly loved children, and live a life of love, just as Christ loved us and gave himself up for us.
Eph 4:32-5:2

That is packed full of truth.
What truths are written in these words?
Here are a few I see
- We are loved by God
- Jesus is God
- We need to forgive each other

There are more, what truths do you see are written in this passage? Comment if you like.

Ok and one more unrelated thing. I need my praying friends. I've had a very difficult week in some regards and I know that many of you are my prayer warriors, so it is very useful sharing this here. I won't tell you details but I will tell you, you can pray for my mind to be clear and focused on what is truth in this situation and then, that I will be able to be thankful, no matter what and trust God. Thank you.

Truth and Beauty

Last week I thought I was wrapping up the blog conversation on What women should wear, with my post on modesty but it turns out I have more to say on this topic. (lol no surprise to some) And I was thrilled with more comments to add to the learning-through-conversation.
This is something I learned from someone wiser than me.
When I was in bible school one teacher told me this about discipleship. She said "lead them to Jesus and let his holy spirit do his work."
She had been mentoring a young woman new to the faith, generally when this young woman came to the meeting she was dressed in what most of us would call immodest dress. The mentor did not point out that her clothing was not appropriate for a woman following Jesus, she just led her through scripture. She led the young women to learn the meaning of truth and beauty and did not just give her a "new law" to follow. Eventually this woman saw from the scripture they were studying that she needed to change the way she dressed.
This my friends is what I want to wrap up on. Learn about truth and beauty, learn it from Jesus and lead others to Jesus but don't tell them what to do, don't just lay down a new set of rules to follow. Lets encourage one another to follow Jesus very closely and open ourselves up to be taught by truth.
This song is very applicable here, at first it seemed confusing to me but I have come to love it for it's rich meaning. Be aware it is sarcastic.
New Law
by Derek Webb
Here are the lyrics or even better if you watch the youtube video

don’t teach me about politics and government
just tell me who to vote for
don’t teach me about truth and beauty
just label my music

don’t teach me how to live like a free man
just give me a new law

i don’t wanna know if the answers aren’t easy
so just bring it down from the mountain to me

i want a new law
i want a new law
gimme that new law

don’t teach me about moderation and liberty
i prefer a shot of grape juice

don’t teach me about loving my enemies

don’t teach me how to listen to the Spirit
just give me a new law

What’s the use in trading a law you can never keep
for one you can that cannot get you anything
do not be afraid
do not be afraid
do not be afraid

The artwork - I do not know the artists name but I chose this piece because of it's gray qualities and small bits of black and white - A little like the modesty conversation.

Modesty

Modesty. What is it?
The dictionary says it is keeping within measure, propriety in dress.
Here are some comments posted after my previous blog post, all your comments were very much appreciated

"As a women of God I think we should dress modestly. And what I mean by that is, is breasts, butt crack, and belly should not be showing."
"Cleavage is okay, just no nipples."
"I can't imagine that they(women of bible times)would have been showing a lot of skin."
"I would say cover up - no breast showing, or cleavage, or short shorts etc."
"I think the body is a beautiful thing and should not be "ashamed" of it."
"We live in a sexually charged culture."
"Culture determines the answer(to what modesty is)."
"We oppose oppression and lust(strict dress codes and promiscuous) as Christians."
"We also need to teach our own children how to dress modestly at a young age. If we allow skimpy tops/clothing when they are young it will be acceptable when they develop and mature."
"We can dress modestly and still be fashionable."

Interesting that everyone commented that a woman should dress modestly, yet with differing opinions as to what that means. Your comments were full of food for thought, advice and challenges. I enjoyed the comments and conversations. So we all agree on modesty but the big question remains, what? What does that mean? What does modesty look like? Can we come to a conclusion as to how long a skirt? How thin a fabric? How thick of a strap? How tight a fit? How low of neck line is appropriate? The lines and measuring could go on and on. I just don't think we can answer these questions for everyone, at least not specific answers maybe that is one reason why it's so hard to talk about this topic, it can't come to a solid conclusion. I think the one conclusion that can be drawn is that it is important to be aware of how we dress and thinking and talking and listening can lead us to be wiser. I believe that each person has to decide, with God's help, what modest means to them. And this doesn't mean we can't challenge one another, for me personally just by writing this and talking about it with people I've been challenged and grown in my understanding of how I should dress. And that means it is as my wise husband said "conversation and prayer" are key.

How should a woman dress?

"I don't know if I want to talk about this?"
"who's really entitled to talk about this stuff?"
"Should it really be an open discussion?"
"Isn't it each to their own?"
Me too, Us, yes and I don't know but I do know this ...

When I was a child my mom canned peaches every summer and she always put perfect halves into each jar, if a peach wasn't co-operating and it wouldn't halve nicely it went into the jam pot, she had high standards. In August I was at my parents for a fabulously relaxing holiday, since they live in the Okanagan I had to do it.... I got myself some peaches and I started canning. My mom was helping me and we cut those peaches any which way, small pieces, big pieces and odd shaped pieces, it didn't matter much. We started talking about the old days when it mattered what shape went into the jars and I joked with my mom that she'd lowered her standards. She said "well I guess I've gotten less picky as I've gotten older." We both agreed that there's nothing wrong with odd shaped peaches, we really don't care what their shape is because we know -they taste the same either way - really good. But the conversation continues on a different level. My mom taught me to halve the peaches, well it doesn't really matter to me so I teach my daughters that any shape is good, and in 20 years they will teach their daughters -just stuff it in the jar don't even bother with the stone. Ok so I don't really know what they'll teach their daughters and really it's just peaches but I hope you see the link to how we dress. How can us fashionable women keep from slipping down the worldly slope? We slowly, not so noticeably lower our standards and all becomes acceptable, everything if changed slow enough becomes normal. As Christians and Jesus followers what do we do? Where do we draw lines for ourselves so that we do not continue towards nothing, that is if it matters at all, maybe naked is ok? Are there really lines that can be drawn? I am not a line drawer so that'll be hard for me. What about church and the beach and at work and at the pool and running errands, do the lines move? How should a woman dress in light of living holy?

This topic needs discussion so please comment, if not just think about this question for yourself and your children and society as a whole.

Men you're also welcome to post your 2 cents. Because this topic can also affect you. What kind of standards do you think women should have?

photo by Dagobert

Keep in Jesus

Jesus' words have a special place for us. They have a directness, like a spot light shines on them. For 50 days I am going to follow this Christian community blog in their study of the sermon on the mount. Maybe you need something to direct you back to studying Jesus' words again, or maybe you just want to fit this into what you already do with God. I will see how it goes.
Ikon Community

Either way, keep in the words of Jesus, because if you/me don't you lose your way and not even know it.

Back from Holidays

So I was on holidays for the past month, we went to BC, it was so relaxing and rejuvenating. Mountains, oceans, beaches, valleys, zoos, cities, fireworks, family, friends, rivers, lakes, creeks, sailing, sliding, hiking, dancing, driving, concerts, camping, canning, fleas, bees, animals and trees. Whew, what a trip.

While on holidays I had a few questions come to my brain. I would like to explore these two questions/topics more in the next while but for now I will throw them out there and you can respond to them as you like with your thoughts or just ponder them on your own.

What kind of openness, vulnerability or transparency is appropriate or acceptable on a blog?
or Maybe a similar question you might ask for yourself if you don't have a blog is in regards to how open, vulnerable or transparent should you be with others?

The second question has pretty much nothing to do with the first.

.... Now, how to word this one...... it is in regards to women and clothing and how we dress and what is appropriate and what is not. How should a women dress in light of living holy? Does summer make a difference?

Those are the two questions swimming in my head these days.

As you can see, though I was on holidays my brain has not taken a break from pondering.
Oh and I have been doing an awful job at keeping a daily connection with God so far this summer. The whole thing about learning to be, to waste time with God, has pretty near bombed. I would feel more awful about it, but I don't thankfully because the glorious thing is each day is a new day and I am forgiven and today is a new day. Thank you Jesus! Today I did it.

Do I mean it?

"Why do we sing songs we don't mean?" My 10 year old daughter has been listening too closely to the worship songs, .... During worshiping in song I've encouraged her to read the words and sing along and she has done this and become a beauty to watch and join with in worship but now what? She has noticed a problem, a discrepancy. .... we sing "I surrender all" but yet we don't really surrender all. .. give my everything ... with all my heart ...sing of your love forever ... we sing it but do we mean it? She asks because she sees within herself the age old battle between God and self. She is wise beyond her years to proclaim such insight into the human heart. I've often pondered on this myself and maybe you have too. Pondered, reflected, confessed and then asked the one we praise for the power to over come our failures.
Ariel's question should be our question for this week, bring it with you into this weeks worship service.
When you're singing to Jesus this week, ask yourself "Do I mean it?"