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worship should have some verbs in it. some action words.
God “demands” – requires as response.
as we see God and know God our response is to love Him and worship Him and want to express How awesome He is.
our response should be in measure of His greatness.
not limited by our feelings, tiredness, circumstances etc
worship isn’t about waiting to get something from God, it isn’t about waiting for Him to touch US its about US responding to WHO HE IS and ALL HE HAS DONE.
its a response of love and awe.
and generally that takes some verbing – some doing, some expressing, some action.
when you love someone you express it.
when you are excited about something you show it.
when you’re a fan of something – sports team – tv show – celebrity – if they walked into the room you’d probably make some noise and do something to display that you actually think they’re cool/awesome etc
love does.
love responds.
love, in my book, is usually enthusiastic and full of hope and joy.
worship does.
worship responds.
worship is us reaching out to God – not to get something – but to say WOW YOU”RE AWESOME AND I THANK YOU AND YOU ARE GREAT AND GLORIOUS.
worship is us reaching out to God to touch Him and encounter Him – SEEKING HIM and drawing near – from US first to Him, responding to His love (1 john 4:9-11)
i’m not a fan of passive worship. slouching with hands in pockets. disinterested.
we need to let our faces catch up with what our spirits should be experiencing.
AWE WORSHIP LOVE JOY GLORY
sometimes i want bigger arms to worship God, to express how amazing i think He is. i’m sure that’s why some people use flags tee hee….
i think psalm 145 says it well:
I will exalt you, my God the King;
I will praise your name for ever and ever.
Every day I will praise you
and extol your name for ever and ever.
Great is the LORD and most worthy of praise;
his greatness no one can fathom.
One generation will commend your works to another;
they will tell of your mighty acts.
They will speak of the glorious splendor of your majesty,
and I will meditate on your wonderful works. [b]
They will tell of the power of your awesome works,
and I will proclaim your great deeds.
They will celebrate your abundant goodness
and joyfully sing of your righteousness.
The LORD is gracious and compassionate,
slow to anger and rich in love.
The LORD is good to all;
he has compassion on all he has made.
All you have made will praise you, O LORD;
your saints will extol you.
They will tell of the glory of your kingdom
and speak of your might,
so that all men may know of your mighty acts
and the glorious splendor of your kingdom.
Your kingdom is an everlasting kingdom,
and your dominion endures through all generations.
The LORD is faithful to all his promises
and loving toward all he has made.
listening to: Brain and Jenn Johnson from Bethel Church Worship HERE IS LOVE. its real good. like real good. the free/spontaneous worship is awesome and the songs just resonate with my heart. love it.
on the box: well the rest of the world has seen LOST FINALE – NZ just had the 2nd to last episode last night, which i’ll watch today. the final is saturday night. i’m so excited i could pee.
life after lost: yes, life will go on
new toy: got a new phone yesterday. so trying to figure out how to make it work and all that. i’m pretty low tech. is fun though 
) but i like having songs as ring tones. and choosing ring tones for people.
want to read: radical by david platt and jesus culture by banning leichester
other new things: got 2 fake leather jackets last week. love them. warm. cool. happy with that. goes great with my jeans and stuff. and a friend brought me a tshirt – she saw it and said to herself, thats a claire tshirt… what a lovely friend and it just blessed my socks off and i do love the tshirt!!!
weather: its autumn, so its fairly changable. one day sunshine and glorious crispness. other days storms and wet wet wet rain. and sometimes BOTH in one day!
looking forward to: apart from the Lost finale on saturday night (did i mention that already???) looking forward to dessert night at housegroup next week and a special day that happens for us all once a year involving cake. of course i have to make my own cake….
at church: we’re having a worship night at our young adults service this week – love to worship God – for all He is, and all He has done – my Saviour, the One who rescues me, the One who i call Father. wow. am speaking at youth next month on community which will be cool. i LOVE community. i LOVE that God sets us in families and a group. how cool is that. now imagine we’re on an island… no wait… sorry sideswipe there…
ooooooh: i just got a text. i like my new text alert…
this week: my plans are pretty lowkey – had kids sick home on monday and then evangeline home again wednesday and my kids love to share, so we’re all a little under the weather and with all the other busyness of the past month i think it was time for some enforced rest. so we’ve slowed down. my only goals for each day is to do some washing and get the dishes done and feed everyone. i think i can do that. am in need of more sleep but the nasty dreams have all stopped so that is good. they were mostly just situational, a result of an overloaded brain! but is nicer to have the rest.
fav bible verse this week: "And He died for all, that those who live should no longer live for themselves but for Him who died for them" 2 Corinthians 5:15 – how wow is that!
another week or so has past – lots of fuel for wordlovers like me… quotes arent just quotes but for me they are words that shape and can make things go click… they can be what redirects our course, challenge us and inspire us to live more and more in step with Jesus…
radicalbook "When Christ calls a man, he bids him come and die." Dietrich Bonhoeffer
radicalbook We must not waste our lives on anything but uncompromising, unconditional abandonment to a gracious loving Savior.
radicalbook Radical faith in a radical Savior requires a commitment to say yes to the words of Jesus before you even hear them.
radicalbook The gospel evokes unconditional surrender of all that we are and all that we have to all that Christ is.
theramp The issue with conquering sin is not if God is able. The issue is are we willing to let go?
theramp "The cross was dirty b/c my sin was dirty. The cross was violent b/c my sin was violent." -Damon Thompson
theramp A daily encounter with the love of God will produce a daily compulsion of obedience to the voice of God.
ashleymmc "I love You, Lord, I shall love you with my arms wide open" – Annette
padre969 RT @TozerAW: "There are rare Christians whose very presence incites others to be better Christians. I want to be that rare Christian."
JarridWilson God listens to knee-mail.
PinkEarthStudio "Faith is to believe what you do not yet see; the reward for this faith is to see what you believe." ~Saint Augustine
perrynoble The discomfort associated with immediate obedience is always better than the pain associated with disobedience!
Revival_Streams Rejection on earth is nothing. Acceptance in Heaven is everything! No scene-sters in Heaven, only worshippers on their faces!
and myself….
fireball3316 – when we fix our eyes upon Him all other things that could distract pale in comparison
totally impressed iwth radicalbook and the ramp at the moment – they are hardhitting convicting challenging tweets – more like a roar than a tweet! go follow and do likewise!
I got awarded! You know one of those award things – but i like this cos it has questions and well i’m nosy about everyone else so i like people to nosy about me )
So i was awared by my awesome friend at It’s OK to be Weird! Ta chick!
The rules for this award are to answer the questions given to you with the award. I can do that! Then make up 10 of your own questions and pass it onto some other bloggers. It’s more of an internet meme than anything, and it’s a great excuse to write and connect with others, so that sounds good to me.
so here goes:
1) Why do YOU blog?
i begun blogging about 5 years ago – hard to believe – just after my wee girl was born and i was keeping weird hours and not getting out enough and so not getting to use up my word count… it grew from there as a way to process who i am and what i think and also express how much i love God… it gave me a way to articulate what i believe and why. and on the way i met awesome people and became part of a community/family which then changed a bit with the popularity of facebook and twitter, but then grew again. blogging and social networking has linked me with family all around the world who are passionately pursuing Jesus and His call, which encourages and challenges me to live likewise.
2) What is your favourite thing to do just for you?
Watch LOST. with a coffee or coke (dep on the weather). because we have the best housegroup in the world on wednesday nights, which is when LOST shows here in NZ, i video tape (how old school eh) it and watch it first thing on thursday morning after dropping the kids at kindy and school. the first episode of season 5 my husband texted me, saying, in like 3rd person, that he was on his way to hospital. i was driving and pulled over, heart palpitating… he then texted to say it was just a joke and enjoy lost! i dont answer the phone during LOST. well sometimes i do, but only on rare occasions.
3) Sweet or Salty?
depends. sometimes i’m in a sweet mood and sometimes i prefer salty. i really like bbq chips. and chinese food. and chocolate.
4) If you could meet anyone in the world, past or present, who would you really like to meet?
perhaps someone like smith wigglesworth or praying hyde. of course they can all line up behind Jesus )
5) What’s your all-time favourite book?
apart from the bible, i really am challenged by a bio on praying hyde and try to read it once a year. also moved by max lucados in the grip of grace and love diana gabaldon’s books (there are about 6 in a series)
6) What’s your favourite season and why?
probably mild autumns – nice sunny clear days and beautiful colours, i love the leaves turning and falling off the trees, there is something majestic about it and full of hope though they’re falling off… its like the beginning of new life in a way – there is winter ahead but spring will come.
7) Where is the furthest place away from home you’ve ever been?
fiji
8) Do you have any allergies?
unfortunately yes. random ones. and common ones. annoying.
9) When was the last time you laughed really hard?
last night. my husband mocked me with love about how i drink. it was seriously funny. and i needed to laugh like that.
10) What is your dream vacation?
somewhere like fiji or italy/florence/tuscany where we can be a normal family and have fun but also with an element of romance and adult-ness )
So, now I’m passing this Blog Award (meme) on to:
1) @ashleymmc - ashley – cos i am hoping she blogs cos she is just such an awesome chick and a real light to me!
2) @brandy_cormier – a blogger i’ve followed for a long time
3) @lottsafaith – again hoping she blogs, enjoy her on twitter!
4) @tijuanabecky – this might fit into her series on “how to blog” (category = those award thing/meme things)
5) @Kimmlee – cos shes cool!
and my questions for them are:
1: why do you blog?
2: if you had a theme song it would be?
3: dream holiday?
4: when was the last time you cried?
5: fav tv show
6: if you were stuck on a desert island… 3 things you’d take?
7: fav passage in the bible
8: morning or evening person?
9: if you had to choose a last meal it would be???
10: your best friend would describe you as???
No one is ever deceived unless he has first entered into compromise. We were created with the ability to recognize right from wrong because the law of God is written on our hearts. But that capacity becomes crippled when we fail to uphold what we know to be true.
In the natural, we have an immune system that protects us from the many illnesses we are exposed to in our daily lives. When that immune system is weak, we become vulnerable to every germ and virus that comes along. Maintaining the standard of righteousness in the heart is essential to strengthening our spiritual immune system, which keeps us undefiled by the spirit of deception.
A heart that is clean doesn’t desire evil. When evil is appealing, it is a warning sign that compromise is in operation, and that certain precautions must be taken. The roots of such compromises are usually found in the attitudes of the heart. That is why Solomon said, “Watch over the heart with all diligence, for from it flow the issues of life” (Proverbs 4:23). When a root of compromise is exposed, repent. And repent deeply until there is a true change of heart and mind. It saves a lot of heartache in the long run. If it’s a repeated area of weakness, use the tool of accountability. Accountability gives us great strength as friends bring out the best in us.
By Bill Johnson – Bethel Church, Redding
‘Repentance is not merely a change of heart and a change of mind, it is a change of action! God requires that if we are sincerely convinced that sin is wrong, then we will turn from it to God, and commit ourselves to not take part in sinful deeds any longer. God blesses such decisions and commitments with abundant grace.’ – Keith Green
Youth group message 21st May: Everyone “enjoying” killing some butterflies? Remember- it may not be easy but our lives are not our own – we live by what the Bible says, not by our own feelings and wants and not to please everyone out there. We live to please God – God who loves us and sees all and knows all and is wise way above we can ever be… I think we can trust what He says… the bible isn’t a book of divine suggestions… find out how to live in here and then use that to smash crush and pulverize the butterflies in your life… because butterflies may look pretty and may look innocent… but like we saw in the clip… they destroy lives. Deal to the butterfly when it is just a butterfly…
So most of you know my story… When I was 16 I got invited to a youth group and having just moved to the area the year before and now attending a girls only school, I went for one reason and one reason only… to meet boys.
But God totally ambushed me – I went for boys and found out He was real. And I discovered something really interesting… I discovered, in a song, that I didn’t have any clue what I was doing with my life or where I was going. I was just a blip on this planet. But I wanted something more. It was like a wake up call.
“Dont you know that i formed you, before you were born i knew you, dont you know that my plans for you are good…. Dont you know that i formed you, before you were born i knew you, dont you know that my plans for you are good…. look and see i’ve engraved you on the palms of my hands, look and see i’ve engraved you on my hands” were what we sung and what spoke to my heart.
And I found out that I was more than just a blip – that God – creator of the universe, who breathes out the stars and knows where the ibex goes to have baby ibex (you can look that one up in job 39…. That He has a plan and a purpose for me.
And that my life has significance. I’m not just a blip but my life counts.
Don’t we all want that?
Don’t we all want to be the hero of our own story?
Don’t we want to make a difference and make our life count?
Whether we know it or not our life does make a difference…. It’s like throwing a pebble into a pond – ripples go out… your life does make a difference – but WHAT KIND OF DIFFERNCE are you going to make?
You see God creates us to know Him and make Him known, to make a difference by building His kingdom… He has a grand plan to take over the world!
For me life is a great adventure and I’m going to change the world…
You may look at me and say “you’re just a mum, you’re just a chick, you’re just a whatever… but “Size matters not, … Look at me. Judge me by size, do you?” Yoda… God has called me and empowered me and just asks for me to say YES and then the adventures can begin! You’re not a justa – you’re called and empowered by God!
The world has yet to see what God can do with and for and through and in and by the man who is fully and wholly consecrated to Him. I will try my utmost to be that man. -D.L. Moody
The world saw back in the day, way back in the day in 1 Kings 18 how one man fully wholeheardly consecrated – which is just a big word for surrendered , committed, sold out, fired up, and holy changed the world…
Pretty wild eh. One man made a difference. He made a stand for God in his generation and all the people turned BACK to God. He made a stand for God and defeated the false prophets. He made a stand for truth and defeated the lie. He made a stand for God and God came with power and fire and proved He was real.
You know… if it happens in “here” it can happen here.
If it happened in here – because this is a true book – an account of real events and real people and our real awesome almighty God – then it can happen in your life.
Kim walker smith one girl praying story – at the conference that Darren, emma and I went on Kim walker smith – one of the lead worship leaders in Jesus Culture – shared this story about how this 13 yr old girl came to one of their conferences and got inspired to start a prayer club in her school to pray for revival. To start a club in her school she had to get a teacher to sponser her, which she did. So she got permission, made flyers and invited all her friends to come. She put notices in lockers and announcements in the newsletters. And the day arrived for the prayer club to start and… no one came. But she was determined. She came every week and prayed for revival in her school. Every week she prayed alone, just her and God. So anyway after a long while, like a few months, a band came and approached the school – they tour all round America, to high schools and do a concert and preach the gospel and share their testimony. To hold a concert in a school you need to be sponsored by a club. The teachers looked down the list and saw they had a prayer club in the school. So they wrote prayer club down as the sponsers and the band got permission. So the day of the concert came. The whole school turned up. The band played, they shared the gospel and told their story. They gave an altar call and MOST responded. The band were really overwhelmed and moved by the response – so many kids responded to the gospel and got saved. So they asked the prayer club, who had sponsored them and made the concert possible, to stand up so they could thank them. The one little girl stood up. “don’t be shy, come on other people in the prayer club, stand up.” But it was just that one little girl.
One person can make a difference.
“Expect great things from God! Attempt great things for God!”
God is wanting to reach this generation – your friends, your school mates, 
your family. You might be ONE PERSON but you have God in you and for you and THROUGH you.
But we have this treasure in jars of clay to show that this all-surpassing power is from God and not from us. 2 Corinthians 4:7
God is calling YOU to make stand for Him.
Being a Christian means you are called to be a world changer. It wont be an easy road. There will be butterflies to be killed, maybe even stink kings to stand against. People might think you’re a dork. But we know the truth.
We know that 2000 years ago Jesus stretched his arms out on the cross and died and paid the punishment we deserved for our sin. We know that He did this so we can be born again, new, holy, righteous, innocent, clean, forgiven. So we can be children of God and have eternal life with God. We know that without being born again that we are dammed for all eternity.
Our mission is the same as it has always – to change the world with the gospel of Jesus. As you make a stand ripples will go out and affect the people around you. The Holy Spirit will be using your life as an example of what God can do. Your prayer changes things. Your conversation changes things.
This past 2 weeks I’ve gone out to botany and talked to complete strangers about Jesus….
So the other day i had to go back to a shop to pick up my I AM A BUTTERFLY KILLER tshirt and i saw an older woman sitting on a bench seat by herself. she was polynesian and in her late 50’s-maybe 60’s (i so am bad at guessing ages!)
i thought to myself, if she was younger, i’d go and talk to her…
And i had one of those d-ah moments. d-ah just do it. God sometimes speaks in the d-ah’s to me.
so i went over and said, excuse me, my name is claire, and then i begun to share that i like to talk to strangers and tell them God loves them and ask if there is anything i can pray for. i EVEN told her that wee bit before, yip the d-ah moment and said how i felt from God that i should talk to her anyway!
i asked her if she was christian, if she believes in Jesus. and she said, oh yes. and told me she goes to a catholic church but has had many friends become born again and tell her that catholic is no no… so i encouraged her, said that when you believe in Jesus Christ as Lord as the way to heaven, forgiver of our sins etc that THAT is what makes us born again on the inside… i think she really is a true believer. so i encouraged her so.
asked her if there was anything i could pray for and she called her husband over who was coming out of a shop and told him what i was doing and he was like “wow okay” (but not in those words lol)
so she asked if i could pray for continued health, she is just recovering from breast cancer and also doesnt want to be worrying about health.
so i laid my hand on her shoulder, told her what i was doing and closed my eyes and prayed.
oh there was a beautiful sense of Holy Spirit there!
when i opened my eyes she had teared up.
Oh how HE loves us and reveals His love to us!
I know that God has used lil’ ol’ me to change someones life and prove to them that He is real.
What are YOU going to do?
People speak of "the call of the prophet" in Isaiah chapter six. But he never was called. He volunteered. Isaiah overheard God say "Whom shall I send? And who will go for us" as if addressing another partner in the Godhead. He did not say "Isaiah, will you go?" Isaiah realized God would send anybody willing. He ventured to offer himself. "Here I am. Send me". The Lord did not hesitate or ask Isaiah to submit his C.V. first. He just said, "Go!" Isaiah’s God is our God. Let’s go! Got it? REINHARD BONNKE
Monsters live in the dark – walk in the light.
monsters = hidden sin, deception, fear, lies
walk in the light = live openly, live holy, live surrendered, live denying self, live forgiven, live in grace, live transformed, live transforming
some random thoughts:
Don’t allow hidden sins and fears and lies to mutate and turn into monsters. Monsters kill steal and destroy – they hurt us and hurt others. They steal our joy, steal our pu
rity, hurt our relationships, drive a wedge of guilt between us and God – they stain us. Monsters make a mess. When we hide small faults and weaknesses they can turn into big sins. Vulnerabilities can be exploited and monsters can grow.
As christians we’re called to live in the light and we do this as people forgiven and given the free gift of eternal life and sonship by God through the death of Jesus. We cant kill monsters ourself. Monsters are killed by coming to God, confessing our sin, asking Him to transform us, denying ourselves and our wants and our fears, being renewed and transformed by the Word of God, living according to His ways and His will. We kill monsters by asking for help and having good friends and leaders we can be honest with.
And this is the condemnation, that the light has come into the world, and men loved darkness rather than light, because their deeds were evil. For everyone practicing evil hates the light and does not come to the light, lest his deeds should be exposed. John 3:19-20
Then Jesus spoke to them again, saying, “I am the light of the world. He who follows Me shall not walk in darkness, but have the light of life.” John 8:12
Then Jesus said to them, “A little while longer the light is with you. Walk while you have the light, lest darkness overtake you; he who walks in darkness does not know where he is going. John 12:35
The night is far spent, the day is at hand. Therefore let us cast off the works of darkness, and let us put on the armor of light. Romans 13:12
Therefore judge nothing before the time, until the Lord comes, who will both bring to light the hidden things of darkness and reveal the counsels of the hearts. Then each one’s praise will come from God. 1 Cor 4:5
You are all sons of light and sons of the day. We are not of the night nor of darkness. 1 Thess 5:5
If we say that we have fellowship with Him, and walk in darkness, we lie and do not practice the truth. 7 But if we walk in the light as He is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus Christ His Son cleanses us from all sin. 8 If we say that we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us 1 john 1:6-8
The disciples had the tremendous privilege and advantage of being pupils of the Master of all masters, Jesus. Yet long before he had finished their education he sent them out to do what he was doing. Actually, that was part of their training and always is. We learn by doing.
A piano teacher can tell a pupil what to do, but the pupil has to sit at the keyboard doing it, putting in daily practice. That is how he gains the skill.
A key word in the Mark’s Gospel is “immediately,” or “straightway.” It occurs over 40 times. It is thought that Peter was behind Mark’s Gospel and Peter was himself an “immediate” man, impetuous. Jesus was the Man for Peter, for he was also a direct action personality. The Lord seemed so unhurried, with time for everybody, but he accomplished more in his brief ministry than any man in a lifetime. What a pattern to follow. REINHARD BONNKE
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