The Languages of Prayer and Scripture in Worship
February 25, 2009 at 10:27 pm | In Essentials Red | 1 CommentFor: The Institute Of Contemporary And
Emerging Worship Studies, St. Stephen’s
University, Essentials Red Online Worship History
Having been involved in the contemporary chrisitan church expereince for more years than I care to confess, I was struck by how much we have abandoned from those who have walked these paths ahead of us. We have chosen to ignore the depth, value, and integrity of the words and works of the past in order to partake of the new, the different, and the exciting. And yet, my encounters with the past have usually been edifying, enlightening, and deep.
Many years ago, a Pastor friend of mine loaned me a copy of Stephen Charnock’s “The Existence and Attributes of God”. The messages of this Puritan from the 17th century were alive with relevance for today and showed a depth of understanding that far surpassed many of the contemporary authors I have read. What a shame that we so easily discard the past instead of learning what riches it can impart to the present.
I am so thankful to be involved in this class. It is calling me to rethink who I am and what i believe. Is there any better kind of learning experience? John Wimber would often say, “Isn’t it wonderful that we can change?” I believe that it truly is. The challenge, of course, is in finding how to let the change influence what we are doing without scaring those we lead.
This weeks class brings such a challenge. How do we incorporate Prayer and Scripture Reading into our worship experience so that they can have new meaning and relevance in a way that enhances the music and flow of the Spirit? I’m looking forward to finding the answer.
Blessings,
Mark
Renewing Our Minds
February 21, 2009 at 5:26 pm | In Musings | 1 CommentI was at the Bethel School of Supernatural Ministry our church is sponsoring again last night (we’re doing it via DVD). Kris Vallotton was the speaker and I don’t think I have heard a better explanation of how the enemy traps us in the way we think. Kris described his own upbringing by two very abusive step-fathers and how he vowed to never be like them. He said that the problem was that in trying to not be like them he had to constantly think about them. His point was that what we think about is what we become – “As a man thinks in his heart, so is he”.
The enemy wants us to dwell on the negative. He will often take truths out of context to convince us that we are powerless, unworthy, and incapable. Kris talked about the concept of a “Sinner Saved By Grace”. That statement is true of who we were, but cannot and should not be a description of who we are. If we continue to live in the identity of who we were we will never be able to function as who we are. Kris stresses that these are not positional concepts (i.e. we are saints) but are, instead, facts. If our identity is that of sinner, if we think that is who we are, is it any surprise that we struggle with sin? I don’t think he was saying we will never struggle with sin but that if we are constantly seeing ourselves as sinners that we become what we envision.
The other mind-blower was his description of baptism. He said that it is not a symbolic action but a prophetic action. It is a proclamation of the death and Resurrection we participate in with Jesus. He said that we dwell on the death part of taking up our cross and ignore the Resurrection part. As Dan Wilt has said, “We are called to present ourselves as living sacrifices, not dead ones”. If every believer saw himself as alive to Christ and dead to sin and meditated on that, set their mind on that one fact, what would the church look like?
Lots of good stuff to ponder. I know I’m going to spend a lot more time thinking about who I am and discovering what God thinks about me. I’m ready for His power and presence.
Blessings,
Mark
Week One, What A Trip
February 19, 2009 at 1:25 am | In Essentials Red | Leave a CommentFor: The Institute Of Contemporary And
Emerging Worship Studies, St. Stephen’s
University, Essentials Red Online Worship History
Well, week one has come and the posts are pouring in. It is fascinating to see the differences in style and perspective. The process of becoming a part of this new international community has been incredibly exciting. The idea that someone on another continent can comment on my thoughts so quickly is astounding. The potential of life-long relationships of prayer, encouragement, and support is even more amazing.
Thanks to my fellow travelers on the journey of worship.
Blessings,
Mark
Essentials Red Begins
February 17, 2009 at 2:30 pm | In Essentials Red | Leave a CommentFor: The Institute Of Contemporary And
Emerging Worship Studies, St. Stephen’s
University, Essentials Red Online Worship History
Well, the questions have begun and the reading, watching, and listening are intense. This week has begun the discovery of Time and Space as languages of worship. Being limited in the number of words to respond to the questions is an interesting challenge. How do I, the long winded, simplify my responses and get the meaning across? I find I am already somewhat different in how I have responded than have my classmates.
I didn’t get a chance to talk much about Space in my answer so discussions of nature and architecture didn’t enter in. They have had importance in my worship development, but the Time aspect has had the greater influence.
What a beautiful and encouraging start to a wonderful class.
Blessings,
Mark
Giving Up Introspection
February 8, 2009 at 2:38 am | In Musings | 2 CommentsI spent last evening at the Bethel School of the Supernatural class that our church is sponsoring. Bill Johnson, the Senior Pastor of Bethel Church in Redding, CA, was talking about how the enemy can deflect us by getting us to over-scrutinize our motives. By constantly analyzing our motivations in the desire to be more holy we may actually be letting the enemy keep us from looking at Jesus while our eyes are focused on ourselves. His message really hit me where I live.
I have lived my life trying to win acceptance. First from my Dad and then from others. I have always been afraid that I wasn’t acceptable and was constantly afraid of doing the wrong thing. That translates to my relationship with God as well. In order to not do the wrong thing, I often found myself not doing anything. The freedom I found in being able to put a name to my dilemma was profound. Moments of self-discovery can lead to new vision. I’m anxious to see where this one leads.
Blessings,
Mark
The Adventure Begins
February 4, 2009 at 2:50 am | In Essentials Red | 2 Comments
For: The Institute Of Contemporary And
Emerging Worship Studies, St. Stephen’s
University, Essentials Red Online Worship History
Taking the Essentials Course is bringing many firsts. Facebook??? I’m old enough to remember not having a TV and now I’m on Facebook. WordPress??? I’ve read blogs but never considered writing one. Another first. Having attended the Vineyard Institute for Ministry in Anaheim, CA (the Vineyard’s first attempt at training church planters within the movement) in the mid-80s I am now seeing an education opportunity with members from all over the planet. I’m looking forward to both the challenges and the blessings. I’m looking forward to both the local interaction with other members of our team and meeting and learning with/from classmates who are part of the Vineyard family beyond the borders of my experience.
I became a worship leader and now a worship pastor wondering what I was doing every step of the way. I’m not a great musician and I have been around some of the most gifted worship leaders in the Vineyard such as John Wimber, Eddie Espinosa, Andy Park, Carl Tuttle, Danny Daniels, Randy Rigby, and many, many others. All were/are better musicians and better worshippers. What was God doing calling me into leading worship? I still don’t have the answers but I have the assurance that I am doing what He wants me to do. Maybe the Essentials courses will bring some answers. Whatever happens I’m just looking forward to the adventure.
I want to thank Dan and Will for this incredible opportunity. I also want to thank the rest of the Connections Pastoral Team for allowing us to do this. So Rick, Paul, Helen, and Tricia thanks for giving us the encouragement to jump in with both feet.
Blessings,
Mark
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