Loving, Being Loved, Worship, & Protecting the Wine {part 1} | Julie Arndt

Have you ever noticed how children who are in the presence of God become loving and affectionate? Our kids were certainly like this. Whenever our family was in a time of intimate worship, our kids would start leaning on us, hugging us, kissing us, squeezing us… it was so wonderful! (What parent doesn’t love that??!!)

Why do you think that happens? I believe it is because Love gives birth to love.

John said it well, we love because He first loved us! (1 John 4:19)

LOVE

When I first began to receive God’s amazing love for me, I became empowered to love Him back. Even more amazingly, this truth had an exponential factor... the more I received, the more I was able to give back. So simple, yet so epic! There are no words to describe that feeling of utter bliss and ecstasy that comes from being so completely loved! It is a foundational truth that must be understood and experienced in order to live in the fullness of grace and peace.

But something really amazing begin to happen to me… the more love I received and gave back to God, the more I realized how much love I had to give to others. And this is really where the rubber meets the road! Because until I realized that God gave me everything I needed to love others, I was not able to live life to its fullest. Getting rid of the fear, “I may give too much love away,” or, “it’s not safe to love from the deepest part of me,” helped me break partnership with and overcome a victim mindset. I am not in danger of living a love-depleted life! I was designed to love! I am no longer crippled from enjoying covenant relationships… AND Jesus has given me back the honor of experiencing sheer joy as I love others just because they are God’s beloved created ones.

WORSHIP

God has really been talking to me about how loving is a form of worship. Of course, most of us would already agree that loving God is a part of worship. But what about how we love each other? What about how we love the things He has created… you know, trees, animals, nature, our bodies, our dreams? I believe we worship God every time we honor and appreciate those things which He has placed here for our pleasure, those things which He loving created for us to enjoy and steward. Agreeing with God’s plans and appreciating His ideas and designs for our lives certainly seems like worship to me.

Some of these things have been a journey for me over a period of time, and some are newer concepts that I am enjoying as I explore the vastness of God’s riches and glory. In my next post I will talk more about some of the beautiful ways these truths are currently being worked out in my life.

Stay tuned for Part 2, which will be posted tomorrow!

Music Recommendations | Kate Podjan

At the Podjan house, we are pretty much constantly playing music nonstop throughout the day.  In fact,  we start every school day (I homeschool the kids) with a worship song that the kids choose (some of their favorites: Jesus Culture's versions of "Rain Down" and "Dance"; and Will Reagan & United Pursuit's "Set a Fire", "Climb", "Yeshua" and "We Have Come/Bless the Lord").

Most mornings I wake up with a song in my spirit, so that's what I start the day listening to.  Today that song was "Draw Near" by Bethel Live.  And, of course, listening to that one song was not enough!  This album, like many that come out of the Bethel Redding/Jesus Culture juggernaut, has really grown on me over the past few months.  I find that a lot of these albums don't really grab me on the first listen, but by the second or third time through I am hooked.  These songs stay with me, and my heart resonates with their message.

So, on that note, here are the 3 latest albums that we've been playing on heavy rotation, both in the house and in the car.  All 3 took a little while to warm up to...but now I don't think they'll ever be retired from our playlists!

The first is Bethel Live's The Loft Sessions (released in January 2012).  Featuring worship leaders Brian & Jenn Johnson, Jeremy Riddle, Steffany Frizzell, Hunter Thompson & Matt Stinton, this album is an acoustic set of songs, some familiar, some new.  I love the rootsy feel of many of the songs on this album.  Favorite songs (as of right now...this list changes constantly):  "You Know Me," "Fall Afresh" and "Draw Near."  

If you're looking for a GREAT album to just marinate in the Presence of God, check out Will Reagan & United Pursuit's Live at the Banks House (November 2010).  Simple songs and easy-to-learn lyrics give way to swelling music and the intimate feel of being in a small group of worshippers laying it all down before the King.  The album is acoustic, and imperfect, and lovely.  I could listen to this thing for hours.  My heart really sings when I can put this album on, shut my eyes, and just get caught up in His Presence.  Favorite songs:  "We Have Come/Bless the Lord," "Yeshua," "Set a Fire" and "Climb." 

Lastly, you have to listen to Emerging Voices, Jesus Culture's latest release (July 2012).  Jesus Culture uses this album to debut 4 new worship leaders: Derek Johnson, Mary Kat Eherenzeller, Nate Ward & Justin Jarvis.  This album was recorded live in Redding, CA.  Simply put, I love it.  Great lyrics, beautiful instrumentation and songs that stay in my heart long after the iPod has stopped playing are all reasons why I will be listening to this album for a long time to come.  Favorite songs:  all of them.

Finding the Wonder | Julie Arndt

The other day I dove into a task that was long overdue… cleaning up my worship song book. Out with the old and in with the new! But what I found as I thumbed through the pages of our worship history surprised me.

Let me just start by saying, the worship team learns a LOT of songs; good songs, songs that didn’t really work out as we’d hoped, GREAT songs, and songs that seem to take us to a place of glory. This last group are the songs I want to talk about.

There are only a few songs that really seem to transcend time. What I mean by that is this: there are some songs that are so good, they never seem to get old. You know what I’m talking about, like “How Great Is Our God,” or “Great Is They Faithfulness.” Two songs written decades apart, yet both stir our desire to lay everything we have down so that all we can do is worship and love on Creator God, Faithful Father.

Then there are songs that seem to be for a season in time. Maybe it’s the fresh revelation of God’s glory, or an attribute we see in God that makes it so special. It’s that go-to song that you know will carry people to the throne room. And then one Sunday, it happens. The go-to song didn’t bring people in! What?! This song always inspires people to rise up and worship. Sigh...

Why does that happen? And what do you do with songs like that? Purging those songs that used to be so amazing and inspiring are like trying to throw away your kids handmade projects from school. Every single one of them has a wonderful memory attached, yet they seem to have outlived their time. And then it hits me… It was never about the handmade project, it was always about the love you shared between the two of you as you marveled over their gift… globby glue, crooked glittery bling, and all.

Yes! That’s it! It was never about the song… it was always about the wonder and amazement you found in the moment. That moment when your heart touched on the greatness of God and cried out that nothing matter more than this very holy moment! Nothing compared to the greatness of God! Nothing in life is better than this! Nothing! Although the song helped you get to that place of revelation, the revelation wasn’t in the song. The revelation was in Him! The song only held the memory of the encounter. Wow, how my spirit longs for these kinds of encounters!

And finally, like a bud slowly opening to reveal its hidden beauty, I began to see the beauty in hungering for more. Certainly God is with us. Surely He favors us with His presence. After all, Jesus said that everything that was His is now ours! But is it possible that we can become desensitized to His presence simply by having the same kind of encounters over and over again? Do we cease to see the wonder in His faithfulness, just because we have grown to know Him as Faithful? Just like with those songs that brought so much grace for the revelation of that moment… how do we maintain the innocence of wonder? How do we mature in our understanding of God without losing the gift of amazement in all that He is? How do we talk to God face to face, sit on His lap, walk hand in hand with Holy Spirit, yet still recognize His holiness and deity?

Grace. The operational power of Christ working in us!

Ask for the grace to know the wonder and the beauty of His holiness. I think this is what we are really asking for when we sing, “show me Your glory!” We are asking for God to reveal what no eye has seen… to hear what no ear has heard… to understand what no mind can comprehend. Like children eagerly awaiting Christmas morning, we long to feel the total amazement of being in the presence of the Holy One! For us, this is where our spirit is most at home. Look for a fresh, new encounter with Him. Don’t be satisfied with what you have already… be jealous for more!

This can only be revealed to us through grace. Can you imagine the pleasure God has in our asking? Revealing Himself to His created ones is the fulfillment of His greatest desire.

If this is your heart’s cry, then pray this prayer with me. Holy Spirit, we want to see Your glory! We ask for grace that increases our hunger for You. We receive Your grace to find the wonder of You. We long to be amazed and in awe of Your Holiness. Wash our eyes in Your love so that we can see You. Bathe our ears in truth that we can know You. Fan the flame within our hearts so that our passions and desires can only be satisfied with more of You! Amen.

Ahhh… it’s so good to know, it’s never been about the wineskin (the song), it’s always been about the New Wine! …and I’m one thirsty girl!!

"It's like Woodstock on Jesus" | by Sally Perry

When people ask me what religion I am, I like to respond Christ follower. When people ask me what denomination I grew up in, I like to tell them I'm a mutt. Because, I accepted Jesus into my heart in a Baptist church. I attended a Brethren church for years with my family. I frequented a Catholic church with a close friend growing up. I attended a Church of Christ for a season. AND I worked and attended a Presbyterian church for years.

During this time, I have gotten to experience a lot of different types of services and what has always fascinated me even more was the different expressions of worship. The first time I experienced what I like to call “extravagant worship” was in my twenties. My husband and I had just decided it was time for us to move away from the church we were attending, so we started the task of church shopping.

This landed us in a very spirited church. I had been exposed to this kind of worship through family members in the past, my husband however had no clue what was about to hit him. He grew up in a church where worship was singing hymns. Thats all folks. Worship was somber and respectful.

So here we were one morning, in a church that in my words, “let the good times roll” which included people rolling down the aisles if the Spirit led them that way. At first I could sense my husband's uneasiness and was a bit worried of how he would react. I figured he would just up and leave or give me his analysis when we had safely reached the car and flew out of the parking lot from the “crazies”.

All that worry was quickly sidelined by a man in the front of the sanctuary who had broke out into an all out Indian type dance. He was jumping up and down and waving a fake sword and making noises I had only heard on National Geographic shows about people from tribes from other cultures. My first instinct was to sit there staring with my mouth half open. Then I started to giggle a bit. With that a lady began dancing down the aisles like she had some sort of invisible partner. People were groaning and laughing and waving flags and wailing on the floor and passing out.

When we got into the car, my husband basically called them all crazy. BUT guess what? We went back next week, and again and again. This was years ago. We now call Open Door our church home. And I have to say I enjoy the different acts of worship that happen there. When asked recently how I would describe Open Door, I said, “It's like Woodstock on Jesus” I myself am not (yet) and extravagant worshiper (at least in public) but I totally love the freedom we have to party every Sunday with Jesus.

Worship is so powerful. It truly ushers in the Holy Spirit and opens the floodgates of Heaven. When you worship freely and totally uninhibited it releases Heaven to work on your behalf. My husband and I have been persecuted by people for attending such a “crazy” place. One day while being asked about why we need to “act like that” it came to me. People with pass out, fall over crying, scream and push and shove to get close to there favorite singer or performer at a concert. For a simple human that has a gift to play an instrument or sing a great song. How much more are we willing to show for our Savior. The man that took all our junk and gave us reward.

I spend a lot of time watching people worship. I like to observe. Not because I am watching to see what people do or do not do. I love the atmosphere of God's people loving on Him. Going out of their comfort zone to say, I love you Jesus. I find it beautiful. I am happy to be part of a church that doesn't limit its people in their worship. Who knows someday you just may see me waving some flags or dancing with an invisible partner up and down the aisle at Open Door. Just thankful to know all praises to our King are invited and welcome.  

Sally Perry keeps many readers laughing on her blog, The Chubby Runner.  She has been attending Open Door since 2007.  She is mommy to two beautiful girls, and is married to the best mechanic in Michiana!