On the 20th I had the opportunity to go to a Tenth Avenue North, Rend Collective Experiment, and Moriah Peters concert. I knew it was going to be a good concert because I have seen Tenth Avenue North twice before at creation. However, something happened that I didn't expect and it was totally amazing!
A lot of times I find it quite hard to really get into a concert because I'm normally too self conscious to just go crazy. However, at the Tenth Avenue North concert I was able to be who I am. Now I didn't go crazy, but I did sing like I meant it because I did. One of the things that really stuck out to me was the cool, odd instruments that the Rend Collective Experiment used. The drums they played were really cool and the one girl was first playing a glockenspiel (metal xylophone), then an accordion, and then a trash can along with a bass drum. I don't know what it is with me, but when you have really cool instruments in a really good song I can get past some of my self-consciousness to be who I am.
All of this added up to the point where I had an insane amount of joy, I mean it was busting out of face in the form of laughter and huge smiles! This joy and the lyrics directed me into a state of worship. I know you don't see me as the hand raising type, but outside of my church I sometimes do it. Because I got past my self-consciousness I was able to allow myself to be mostly comfortable with raising my hands.
The reason the title is called unexplainable is because what was happening inside of me during the worship was well, unexplainable. I mean I would like to try to explain what that night was like, but I'm afraid to mess up and not give enough credit. The joy, worship, and connection to God I had was so great I passed my self-conscious boundaries. I think its safe to say that was the most real worship I have ever had. My joy level, peace level, and my contentness level was insanely high. Everything seamed in a way just right, but then we had to leave and go back into the "real" world. However, I wasn't going back into the 'real world" alone I had God helping me and the armor of God to use. In a way the lyrics from the song called the struggle sums it up.
The Struggle - Tenth Avenue North
Hallelujah
We are free to struggle
We're not struggling to be free
I guess what I'm trying to say is one of the things I learned from the concert was that worship, true worship to God will change your life forever. How it will change your life and its power will probably be unexplainable. If you truly worship the creator of the universe you will probably receive an extremely profound and intense joy.
Sunday, April 28, 2013
Tuesday, April 23, 2013
Authority
It seams like everyone goes through a certain thing at least once in their life where they look at themselves from an outside point of view and really realise who they are. There are three different sides of language, first, second, and third. When you look at yourself from a third person view you can see things you never saw before. You may see who you are, what your life is like, and possibly how others see you. I mean we have probably all looked at someone and thought why would they want to look like that? However, really the person may have never really looked at what they look like because they are so used to gradual change of their style. When you take on a third person style of perception of yourself you may realize you are not who you wish to be.
That is where I found myself a few days ago. I looked at what I was and I didn't really like what I saw. Basically I was a mess. Now I didn't see anything from an outside perspective, but an inward perspective. I realized my mind is messed up, I have let myself slowly fall away to the point where my mind is not doing what it was meant to do. My mind is no longer attentive, remembering well, or able to focus on things.
I got to the point where I was forgetting stuff all the time and not really actually listening sometimes. My mind had in a way forgotten itself. I wasn't obeying the laws I have put up for myself. If I don't obey myself how can I obey God really? If you don't have authority over yourself (discipline) how can you let God have authority in your life? At this point of not really obeying myself it is like a personal rebellion. However, it is probably more of a rebellion against my conscience more than my own mind. I couldn't let my life just fall apart to the point where my mind's commands no longer mean anything to myself.
Mark 3:25 If a house is divided against itself, that house cannot stand.
So I have taken the stand to correct my revolution against myself. I must have authority over my mind. I looked at myself and didn't like what I saw. Do you like who you are? Or even better, does God like who you are?
Switchfoot - This Is Your Life
This is your life, are you who you want to be?
This is your life, are you who you want to be?
This is your life, is it everything you dreamed that it would be?
When the world was younger and you had everything to lose
Time moves on. There is only a certain amount of time made and that amount is always turning from future into the past. Don't leave this earth with regrets. Take authority over yourself and fix your life with God's help. It can be a good practice to profoundly change you point of view to the third person and see what needs fixing. Take authority over yourself and give that authority to God, because He will change you for the best.
( Disclaimer: You might not always be able to see everything that is wrong. You may need God to see more. )
That is where I found myself a few days ago. I looked at what I was and I didn't really like what I saw. Basically I was a mess. Now I didn't see anything from an outside perspective, but an inward perspective. I realized my mind is messed up, I have let myself slowly fall away to the point where my mind is not doing what it was meant to do. My mind is no longer attentive, remembering well, or able to focus on things.
I got to the point where I was forgetting stuff all the time and not really actually listening sometimes. My mind had in a way forgotten itself. I wasn't obeying the laws I have put up for myself. If I don't obey myself how can I obey God really? If you don't have authority over yourself (discipline) how can you let God have authority in your life? At this point of not really obeying myself it is like a personal rebellion. However, it is probably more of a rebellion against my conscience more than my own mind. I couldn't let my life just fall apart to the point where my mind's commands no longer mean anything to myself.
Mark 3:25 If a house is divided against itself, that house cannot stand.
So I have taken the stand to correct my revolution against myself. I must have authority over my mind. I looked at myself and didn't like what I saw. Do you like who you are? Or even better, does God like who you are?
Switchfoot - This Is Your Life
This is your life, are you who you want to be?
This is your life, are you who you want to be?
This is your life, is it everything you dreamed that it would be?
When the world was younger and you had everything to lose
Time moves on. There is only a certain amount of time made and that amount is always turning from future into the past. Don't leave this earth with regrets. Take authority over yourself and fix your life with God's help. It can be a good practice to profoundly change you point of view to the third person and see what needs fixing. Take authority over yourself and give that authority to God, because He will change you for the best.
( Disclaimer: You might not always be able to see everything that is wrong. You may need God to see more. )
Tuesday, April 16, 2013
Prayer Is Never Not Worth The Try
This last summer when I arrived at city challenge with my youth group we didn't know anything we would experience, except that we would be pushed out of our comfort zone. One of the biggest comfort zones for me that was pushed was praying out loud in front of people. I tried to be pretty cool with it, but it is always hard to instantly change your comfort zone.
Later the first night I had built a determination and readiness to try to go do what they wanted us to do as best as I could. I went down to the lounge where the other guys from my youth group were still finishing up their breakdown of the days events. I stood by and listened to what they were saying and knew they were going to end with prayer. I wasn't sure if I wanted to pray because I'm not much of one to readily go out of my comfort zone. However, as I was contemplating my next move this though popped into my brain.
Prayer is never not worth the try
This thought was so true, I mean the gift of salvation is a free gift of God. Because of that salvation we have a relationship with God and therefore can talk to Him. Prayer isn't something to be thrown around, but it is pretty much a power. Now prayer doesn't have the power, but God himself. Based upon of that fact, if the power of the prayer is not dependent of our words, why are we afraid to say the wrong thing when we pray in public? Is what the people around us think about our prayer more important than what God thinks about our prayer?
Back to city challenge; Why would I sit there when I could "pitch in"? Why wouldn't I use the power of prayer when its so easy to do and so powerful?
Prayer is never not worth the try. Why not use the power of prayer when you have the chance and its pretty much free? We live in a dark world, God is there to help us, and He always knows how to answer the best way with his profound power. Why not get all the help we can get?
Later the first night I had built a determination and readiness to try to go do what they wanted us to do as best as I could. I went down to the lounge where the other guys from my youth group were still finishing up their breakdown of the days events. I stood by and listened to what they were saying and knew they were going to end with prayer. I wasn't sure if I wanted to pray because I'm not much of one to readily go out of my comfort zone. However, as I was contemplating my next move this though popped into my brain.
Prayer is never not worth the try
This thought was so true, I mean the gift of salvation is a free gift of God. Because of that salvation we have a relationship with God and therefore can talk to Him. Prayer isn't something to be thrown around, but it is pretty much a power. Now prayer doesn't have the power, but God himself. Based upon of that fact, if the power of the prayer is not dependent of our words, why are we afraid to say the wrong thing when we pray in public? Is what the people around us think about our prayer more important than what God thinks about our prayer?
Back to city challenge; Why would I sit there when I could "pitch in"? Why wouldn't I use the power of prayer when its so easy to do and so powerful?
Prayer is never not worth the try. Why not use the power of prayer when you have the chance and its pretty much free? We live in a dark world, God is there to help us, and He always knows how to answer the best way with his profound power. Why not get all the help we can get?
Tuesday, April 9, 2013
Fault-Full
So a few weeks ago we received around 2-3 inches of snow. Surprisingly I wasn't thinking of going outside and snowboarding, but was stoked on the idea of riding bike because riding bike in the snow can be one of the most fun things to do.
As I was riding down the road planning to take a sketchy route down a closed road that had been washed out last fall. Not only is this road sketchy to ride down, but when there is snow you can't tell exactly where rocks and dips are. Either way I was a little worried about potentially hurting myself on the closed road as I was heading down the road from our driveway. I was just having fun sliding my back tire and then all of a sudden before I even got to the tough part of the road I wreaked. My front tire skidded out and I went down on my side.
Then when I was riding up to the neighbors after navigating the closed road I was thinking about wreaking and what I could learn form it. Then the thought came to me of how my imperfections or wreak should remind me that I am human. I am not perfect and I mess up.
So instead of being scared as I'm falling or being scared at the potential pain, I should embrace the fact that this is proving I'm not God and I'm a fallen creature. We should embrace the embarrassment because we are all the same, we mess up, and this should help us to see God as bigger and greater than ever before.
Profoundly change your point of view of embarrassment so that it reminds you that God is perfect and doesn't mess up. Unlike God who is fault-less we are fault-full.
As I was riding down the road planning to take a sketchy route down a closed road that had been washed out last fall. Not only is this road sketchy to ride down, but when there is snow you can't tell exactly where rocks and dips are. Either way I was a little worried about potentially hurting myself on the closed road as I was heading down the road from our driveway. I was just having fun sliding my back tire and then all of a sudden before I even got to the tough part of the road I wreaked. My front tire skidded out and I went down on my side.
Then when I was riding up to the neighbors after navigating the closed road I was thinking about wreaking and what I could learn form it. Then the thought came to me of how my imperfections or wreak should remind me that I am human. I am not perfect and I mess up.
So instead of being scared as I'm falling or being scared at the potential pain, I should embrace the fact that this is proving I'm not God and I'm a fallen creature. We should embrace the embarrassment because we are all the same, we mess up, and this should help us to see God as bigger and greater than ever before.
Profoundly change your point of view of embarrassment so that it reminds you that God is perfect and doesn't mess up. Unlike God who is fault-less we are fault-full.
Tuesday, April 2, 2013
116
For those of you that don't know, there is a collective group of Christian rappers called the 116 clique. This group of Christian rappers has some of the most doctrinally sound Christian music. I mean some of this stuff is better than what we sing in church. Either way the 116 stands for Romans 1:16.
Romans 1:16 For I am not ashamed of the gospel, because it is the power of God that brings salvation to everyone who believes: first to the Jew, then to the Gentile.
The 116 crew is all about being unashamed of the gospel of Christ. They are putting God at the forefront of their lyrics and have Him running the show. Are we really unashamed of the gospel? The Bible is the book full of truth, are we really into it? Sadly I know I don't know the Bible enough, use its enough, or express it enough.
116 - by Trip Lee (A member of the 116 Clique)
Look all I need is one sixteen to brag on my king
Romans 1:16
We brag about Him daily cause He runs this thing
Can I do it? Can I do it?
Do we brag on our Lord? If we are so happy because we have received this great gift of immense love and grace from God are we sharing it to the world? I can tend to be self conscience sometimes or just not the one to step out and even talk to people let alone talk to them about God. I never know what to exactly say, I'm afraid they might reject my words or even worse God. Therefore, the fear of being rejected overrules my desire to brag on my God. The thing is that if I they reject God the real truth isn't that I have failed, but that the Holy Spirit hasn't opened their heart to Him.
The stakes are high, death is life or death. When life ends either it is remade or destroyed. We should always be using the words of the Word and expressing them to all. Romans 1:16 should spur us to express our relationship with the King of Kings. Profoundly overcome your fear and tell the world about your king.
Disclaimer: Look to God not me because hopefully what I am writing on this blog is not my words.
Romans 1:16 For I am not ashamed of the gospel, because it is the power of God that brings salvation to everyone who believes: first to the Jew, then to the Gentile.
The 116 crew is all about being unashamed of the gospel of Christ. They are putting God at the forefront of their lyrics and have Him running the show. Are we really unashamed of the gospel? The Bible is the book full of truth, are we really into it? Sadly I know I don't know the Bible enough, use its enough, or express it enough.
116 - by Trip Lee (A member of the 116 Clique)
Look all I need is one sixteen to brag on my king
Romans 1:16
We brag about Him daily cause He runs this thing
Can I do it? Can I do it?
Do we brag on our Lord? If we are so happy because we have received this great gift of immense love and grace from God are we sharing it to the world? I can tend to be self conscience sometimes or just not the one to step out and even talk to people let alone talk to them about God. I never know what to exactly say, I'm afraid they might reject my words or even worse God. Therefore, the fear of being rejected overrules my desire to brag on my God. The thing is that if I they reject God the real truth isn't that I have failed, but that the Holy Spirit hasn't opened their heart to Him.
The stakes are high, death is life or death. When life ends either it is remade or destroyed. We should always be using the words of the Word and expressing them to all. Romans 1:16 should spur us to express our relationship with the King of Kings. Profoundly overcome your fear and tell the world about your king.
Disclaimer: Look to God not me because hopefully what I am writing on this blog is not my words.
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