e-Praise & Prayers - June 29, 2004
You can talk to God because God listens. Your voice matters in heaven.
He takes you very seriously.
When you enter His presence, the attendants turn to you to hear your voice.
No need to fear that you will be ignored.
Even if you stammer or stumble, even if what you have to say impresses no one,
it impresses God - and He listens.
Max Lucado
Sam Arnold decided awhile back to discontinue his chemo treatments. He has been slowly failing since then. On Sonday morning death was defeated once again as Sam Arnold passed from this life and into his new life in the presence of his LORD and Savior, whom Sam loved. We praise God for the witness of strong Christians like Sam Arnold. His faithfulness and strength leave a legacy behind that we can all follow. Please pray for his wife, Betty, and all of the family. His Celebration of Life is scheduled for 11:00 Wednesday morning at FFBC.
Walt Hemphill has come home from Redwood City. They were unable to do the heart surgery because the tests showed that his kidneys were shutting down. Walt is on some new meds that will hopefully clear up this problem and allow him to have the surgery he needs. Please pray for Walt, Donna, their son, Ray and the whole family.
Judi Wright’s mother’s Alzheimer’s is getting worse and Judi (who is her care giver) is really feeling the strain of her mother’s illness. Please pray for strength for Judi. Judi is such a blessing to our congregation and to the choir in particular.
Kelly Hastings father, Chuck Johnson, will undergo additional surgery to remove cancer. Please pray that the cancer will be contained and has not spread to his lymph nodes.
I was hoping this past week to hear from Crystal Snow or her mother, but did not. Please pray that Crystal will contact me and that I can help her to find the hope and help she needs in Jesus.
I received a letter from Char Cole who reports that camp is going much better this week. Next week they will be hosting another inner city camp - please pray that these children will find Jesus in a personal relationship during their week in camp.
Pastor & Joy Nolte leave Hawaii tonight at 11:15 p.m. Hawaii time which is 3:15 pm Fresno time. They will reach Fresno Wednesday morning at 10:45 (Fresno time). Please pray for traveling mercies for them - and that they can catch up on their rest and get over the jet lag quickly. Even though my kitchen looks like a swarm of locust goes through it daily - I have loved having this time with Clark as my temporarily adopted son.
Please pray for traveling mercies for all of our families who travel during the summer.
Please continue to pray for Annie Dennis’ father, John Rogers in his battle with cancer and that Father will use this to bring John into a personal relationship with Him. Please continue to pray for Cheryl Baledra with her cancer, Mandy and her cancer, Connie & her baby, Chantel in Paris, who will soon undergo surgery, Carola Polythress for continuing recovery, Khamla and her continued recovery, Biana’s nephew, Brent, as they finish their filming in South Africa, Kris Baiz and her foot, Robert Kammer & his sleep apnea, Rick, Leslie and Kayla, as Rick continues his chemo treatments.
Continue to pray for our missionaries, Reaching Hand Society in India, Jan & Larry Martin in Thailand, Bounkham & Khamla to Laos, and Dr. George Pe Myat Win in the Congo and all those who build the Kingdom of God far from their homes.
Pray fervently for our church family, our pastors, church leadership and finances. We are so blessed to have Dan and Edie Gates as members of our congregation and for Dan’s leadership with our Seniors ministry. Please pray for them this week.
The Friday Night at the (car-less) Drive In movies is going great! This past Friday I met a man and his two sons who were coming to our campus for the first time because of the movies. Pray that this outreach opportunity will reach out to all of our neighborhood and that we will build relational bridges with them - bridges that will then be built with Jesus. This Friday we will be seeing “The Miracle” - the wonderful story of the USA Olympic gold-medal winning ice hockey team.
As we approach our celebration of our country’s independence, please pray for our country, our leaders and our military.
Ancient of Days, God of the whole earth,
We take joy to be in Your presence. We give You praise and thanks that those who search for You will have no difficulty in finding You.
Jehovah, my God, we praise and thank You for the enduring witness of Sam Arnold. Although Sam is no longer with us we know that He is safe with You and that You have welcomed Him home with open arms. We lift up Betty and the family as they grieve their loss - even as they - and we - know the parting is a temporary thing. We are still beings bound by space and time - Sam is now a being who dances in eternity. Tell Sam that we will see him soon.
Good Shepherd, we ask Your mercy on Walt Hemphill. You know the plans that You have for Walt - and we know that they are good. We ask that You strengthen Walt during this time, and that he be able to receive this surgery. Be with Donna, Ray and the family as they support and love Walt. We thank You for this man’s strong witness of faith in You.
We call out to You on Judi’s behalf and ask that You be her strong tower of refuge in a troubled land. Give her strength, patience and comfort as she cares for her mother. Grant peace to her mother.
We pray for Chuck Johnson as he undergoes surgery for cancer. LORD God, please do not let it spread to the lymph nodes.
Abba, I love Crystal so much - and I know that the only hope that she has is You. I ask that You use me as You see fit to reach her.
We lift up all of those who work among the children at Camp Sugarpine. We ask that You reach out to the children who will be at the next inner city camp and soften their hearts. Give them eyes to see Your glory and ears to hear Your message of salvation.
We lift up Willie, Joy and all of those in our family who are traveling. Keep them safe as they travel and bring them home to us.
Lifter of our Heads, we continue to pray for John Rogers, Cheryl, Mandy, Connie & her baby, Chantel, Carola, Khamla, Brent, Kris, Robert, Rick, Leslie and Kayla.
Protector, we pray a stronghold of protection around all of our missionaries. Provide for their needs as they build Your kingdom.. In particular we call out for Reaching Hand Society, Jan & Larry Martin, Bounkham & Khamla, and Dr. George Pe Myat Win. Father, we ask that You bless them from Your abundance until their lives are overflowing with the joy of serving You.
Son of the Most High God, we lift before Your crystal throne all of the pastors and leadership of Your Church. We thank You that You have brought these exceptional men and women and placed them with us. We ask Your blessings on us, the church family, that we will support out pastors and leaders and that we will serve You with our whole hearts. Make us a people who are known for our service to You. Help us to use every opportunity - including the Friday night movies - to share the Good News of You. We ask Your abundance on the finances of the Church and ask that You meet all of her needs. Help us to give of our hearts, our time and our resources to build Your kingdom. We ask a special blessing on Dan and Edie Gates and we thank You for the many ways that they serve the needs of our congregation. We thank You for Dan’s leadership of our Senior’s ministry and we ask that You continue to use him to meet the needs of our “seasoned” members and attenders.
Father God, we ask Your blessings on our country and ask that You use us to bring her back to You. Make the words on our money - In God We Trust - the words of our country’s heart. We pray for the leadership of our country and ask that You guide them in the decisions that they make. Bless our military men and women as they serve us and their country.
LORD Jesus, we are so glad that You are not a collection of fables in an outdated book whose time has come and gone. You are alive forevermore - the great I AM - the same yesterday, today and forever. Thank You that the Bible, Your very own Word, is as relevant to our lives today as it was to that little shepherd boy facing down a giant, or Noah when he released the dove. You are the breath of life that we breathe. We love You, LORD. We will love You forever. Amen
Thanks to Ray Callahan for this wonderful prayer. And remember - sometimes the most important workplace we have is within our own home! Valerie
Workplace Prayer
My Heavenly father, as I enter this workplace I bring your presence with me. I speak your peace, your grace, your mercy, and your perfect order in this office. I acknowledge your power over all that will be spoken, thought, decided, and done within these walls.
Lord, I thank you for the gifts you have blessed me with. I commit to using them responsibly in your honor. Give me a fresh supply of strength to do my job. Anoint my projects, ideas, and energy so that even my smallest accomplishment may bring you glory.
Lord, when I am confused guide me. When I am burned out infuse me with the light of the Holy Spirit. May the work that I do and the way I do it bring faith, joy, and a smile to all that I come in contact with today.
- Beliefnet member fowiso
Christian
Jesus wills of His own accord to come into us and in His own power, to deal with our needs It is not necessary for us to constrain Him by our prayers to take an interest in us.
O. Hallesby
I would like to praise and thank God for the day-by-day provisions for my life that I never seem to really notice. I woke up with a start this morning as my alarm went off, then spent some time with my Father. (Thank You, God, for a good night’s sleep and the privilege to be in Your presence.) I drove into work - simply amazed by this guy on a motorcycle speeding and weaving in and out of traffic like an insane bee with a death wish. (Thank You, LORD, for keeping me safe as I drove to work.) I got to my office, greeted Yolanda & Lorraine, and got to working. (Thank You, Father for my job that I love and co-workers that bless my life.) I went out to lunch with some friends. (Thank You, LORD Jesus, for providing my daily bread). At the end of the day I hurried home to my family. (Thank You, God, for my children & my mom) After dinner, Steven & I went over to the church for Vacation Bible School. (Thank You, Holy Spirit, for giving me a way to serve You and a church fa!
mily to share my service with.) Rachel was there and I immediately picked her up and settled her on my hip. Tommie told me he loved me, the children had fun with the memory verse game. (Thank You, LORD God, for allowing me to work with the children. I love them so much) After VBS I hurried home and started working on the e-Ministry prayer sheet. (Holy Spirit, Thank You for the gifts in writing that You have given me. My heartfelt desire is to be the typist of Your words) In just a little bit I will once again spend time with Father then I will go back to bed. (Thank You, Awesome God, for a glorious day and for allowing me to be with You.)
Annie Dennis is requesting prayer for her father. He has just been diagnosed with a blood cancer that affects the bones. Her father is not a Christian - so please pray that God will be able to use this situation to bring Annie’s father to Him.
Bev Willis e-mailed to tell us that she is feeling much better. The rash is going away, the pain s in her shoulder & ankle are much less and she is sleeping better. Bev thanks us for our prayers and praises God for the improvement in her health.
Delaine Zody sent in an update on her niece, Cheryl Balestra. Cheryl is doing so much better. She is feeling better and is able to get out and about some. Delaine said, “I know God is working in this family. Even my sister commented on all the people who are praying for her and she knows that it is helping.”
Jim of Elk Grove received a call from his doctor about the test he took and everything is fine! Jim and his family are very relieved. Thank you for your prayers in support of Jim.
Mandy, who had surgery last Tuesday, is still recovering from the surgery - but the doctor is very pleased with the results. Continue to pray for a full recovery.
Vacation Bible School is going on this week. Please pray for the children who are attending and the leaders that are teaching them. Pray for those children who do not have a personal relationship with Jesus.
Please continue to pray for Chantel and her upcoming surgery, Rick, Leslie & their daughter Kayla as Rick undergoes treatment for his cancer, Connie & her baby, Kris Baiz, Carola Poythress, Khamla, Biana’s nephew, Brent. Robert Kammer, Anna and her mother.
Continue to pray for our missionaries, Jan & Larry Martin in Thailand, The Reaching Hand Society in India, Bounkham & Khamla to Laos, and Dr. George Pe Myat Win in the Congo and all those who serve Jesus to the ends of the earth.
Please pray for our pastors, our leadership and the finances of our church. Chris Aycock has an exciting tent event coming up in July with young people coming to set up a tent campground on the back lawn of our campus. It will be an exciting time of fellowship, worship and service work to the city. Let’s pray for Chris and this first-time event for us.
Father God,
I get so caught up in the busyness of my days that I often - too often - fail to thank You for how you take care of me in both big things and little things. Thank You that in spite of my business and my lack of thankfulness, I am never out of Your care. There is not one moment of my life where You are not aware of me, concerned for me and loving me. There is no greater joy than to be Your child.
Father, we lift Annie’s father in prayer. We pray that he will be healed from the cancer that is in his blood. But even more fervently, we pray that he finds healing for the cancer of sin that claims his soul. Abba, bring this man closer to You with this situation. Let him find healing for his soul within the light of Your love.
Mighty healer, we thank You and praise You for Your hand of mercy and healing on Bev, Cheryl, Jim and Mandy. Thank You for the progress that has been made both physically and spiritually for these beloved friends and family. Continue to keep them under Your care as they continue to heal..
Holy Spirit, we pray in agreement for the children who are attending Vacation Bible School. Holy Spirit, open their eyes, ears and hearts to hear what You would have them learn. We want the children to have a great time - with lots of fun. But all that is really important for this week is that those children who are not in relationship with You will learn of You this week and ask You into their hearts to be the LORD of their lives. Holy Spirit, breathe Your message of life into their hearts and soul.
We continue to pray for Chantel, Rick, Leslie & their daughter Kayla, Connie & her baby, Kris Baiz, Carola Poythress, Khamla, Brent, Robert, Anna and her mother. All knowing God, most powerful One, You know the whys and wherefores of each of these situation and we ask that you continue to bless in each of them.
With thankful hearts and hands we lift up our missionaries around the world who serve You so faithfully. We call out Your blessings on Jan & Larry Martin, The Reaching Hand Society, Dr. George Pe Myat Win, and Bounkham & Khamla.
LORD God, we pray for our pastors and leadership of our churches. Continue to guide them and give them peace. Show them the path that You would have our congregations walk in order to best serve You. Father, we pray for the finances of FFBC and for all of Your churches. Father God, if it is an outward directed church, it has financial problems. Provide for the needs of Your church so that the kingdom work can go on.
LORD of Mercy and Grace, we thank You for Chris Aycock and his ministry to the young people of our church. Strengthen him as he leads and guides the future leaders of our churches. Grant him wisdom as he deals with all of the very unique problems of the youth groups. Help us to support him with our love and our hands. Bless the tent city that will shortly go up on our campus and bless the young people who will give their time and service to You.
My Great and Glorious God, thank You again for the simple pleasures of our lives. Help us to keep our focus on You and not on the busyness of our lives. Nothing compares to You. We love You LORD. In Your precious name we pray, praise and worship. Amen.
Note from Valerie: Every day I get a Breaking News Story from Gospel For Asia Ministries. All of them are wonderful, exciting stories of how God is changing lives through the preaching of His Word. Something about Bahadur's story just touched me and made me use our favorite religious word "WOW"! Maybe it is because my idea of visiting the snow is to stay in the car with a thermos of hot chocolate while the children get cold & wet. (I don't really care for the snow that much I am more of a beach type of person) This amazing man lives his life traveling in the snow for Jesus.
GFA Missions Update, June 14, 2004
http://link.salemwebnetwork.com/UM/T.asp?A1.173.22952.1.1582885
Climbing the Himalayas
For three days, he walked up the Himalayan Mountains. Icy winds stung his face. Only a few more days to go. This is K.P. Yohannan with Breaking News from Asia.
Bahadur struggled to keep warm. But he smiled. He was on his way to church! At the end of his journey, he found a small group of believers, crowded in a house, waiting for him, their pastor. Bahadur travels like this every week. He walks to eight mountain villages in Nepal, preaching and teaching new believers about Jesus. Just recently, 10 people gave their lives to Christ.
As Bahadur entered this small house, he was handed a warm cup of tea and given a few minutes to rest. Then the mountainside rang with joyful praises to Jesus. For the next few hours, he taught the Word of God to these precious people, his fellow Nepalis, so hungry to know more about the living God. Late that night, when he stretched out on a straw mat, he heard the cold wind blowing around the small stone house. He knew that in two days, he would be on the icy trail again, walking to the next mission station. But in spite of the hardship, he rejoiced, because Jesus his Savior is worth it all.
**************************
Bahadur is just one of Gospel for Asia's 13,000 native missionaries, willing to go anywhere to take the Good News of Jesus Christ to those who have never heard. If you'd like to know more about them, see their pictures and read their testimonies, visit our website at gospelforasia.org. Or in the U.S. call 1-866-WIN-ASIA.
June 22, 2004
Live in what must be. Do not live in your human imagination of what is possible.
Live in the Word - in the love and infinite faithfulness of the LORD Jesus.
The faith that always thanks Him -
not for the experiences, but for the promises on which it can rely.
A. Murray
I am having a pretty rough week - it seems like one piece of bad news on top of the other. My spirit is so burdened. But I know that my Redeemer lives, that He will stand upon this earth as her LORD and King and that I will see Him with my very own eyes. And for that - I praise Him. My burdens are transitory - He is forever.
Walter Hemphill was supposed to have surgery for his heart - but they were unable to operate because he is so weak. There is the start of renal failure. Please pray that Walt can gain the strength to be operated on. Please keep Donna and his family in your prayers as well.
Sam Arnold is also not doing well. Willie went to see him on Monday and reports that Sam is really weak. Please keep Betty and the whole family in your prayers.
I am requesting prayer for a young woman named Crystal Snow. Crystal was one of my first - and most faithful - Care Fresno Kids. She was with our program for years. She moved out of town to live with her father a few years back. Crystal’s mother was in services this past Sonday to tell us that Crystal is back in town. She is 16, pregnant, and addicted. I cannot begin to tell you how heartbroken I am. Please pray that Jesus can reach Crystal before it is too late.
Char Cole is requesting prayer for all of the counselors up at Sugarpine Christian Camp. This past week was their “Inner City” camp and to say that it was difficult would be an understatement. These counselors are young and for the most part not equipped to handle the defiance, fighting and vulgar language these children act out with. And to compound the difficulties - one young 10 year old girl tried to take her own life. After you pray for the counselors - please pray for these broken children. After a week at camp - they had to go back into lives that we cannot imagine and to act out in anger is their only defense. Pray for this little girl who is in so much pain that death seems preferable to the life she has. Father God, show us, Your children, how to reach out to these children of pain with Your message of love and hope.
Floyd & Bev Willis went to visit Rick, Leslie and Kayla on Sonday, the 16th. Rick is now taking some type of pill that allows him to take his chemo at home. Please continue to pray for Rick’s recovery - and that he will come to know Jesus in a personal relationship.
Chantal is still undergoing some difficult tests in preparation for her surgery. Please pray for strength and patience for both her and Charles.
The Willis family is on the road on vacation together. Please pray for their safety. The Willis’ represent a part of our church family that simply fascinates me. I am constantly amazed at the number of three & four generations of the same family that are in our congregation. What a testimony of faithfulness throughout the generations!
Willie & Joy Nolte should be arriving in Hawaii at about 9:00 tonight - our time. Please pray for our beloved pastor & his wife as they enjoy this much needed and deserved vacation. Please pray for my family - as we have Clark with us this week. It will be a week of fun times for us - but I now have two teenage eating machines in my kitchen!
Lets continue to keep Annie Dennis’ father in prayer for his health and for salvation, Cheryl Baledra with her cancer, Mandy and her cancer, Connie & her baby for continued good health, Carola Polythress for continued recovery from her stroke, Khamla and her continued recovery, Biana’s nephew, Brent, as they wrap up filming in South Africa, Kris Baiz and her foot, Robert Kammer & his sleep apnea, Anna & her job situation and Anna’s mom for depression.
Continue to pray for our missionaries, Reaching Hand Society in India, Jan & Larry Martin in Thailand, Bounkham & Khamla to Laos, and Dr. George Pe Myat Win in the Congo and all those who serve Jesus to the very best of their hearts and abilities.
Please continue to keep our pastors and church leadership - in all of our congregations - lifted high in prayer. This week lets take a little extra time to pray for Marva Ward - the leader of our children’s ministries.
Pray for our country and those who serve her so faithfully in the military.
Most high and glorious God,
It is at these times in my life - when I am feeling the burdens weighing me down that I most need You and it is now that I find You most faithful to me. Everlasting Father, my troubles seem to be just a vapor in the wind when compared to the foreverness of You. I praise You and thank You for all that You are in eternity and in me.
Father God, we lift before You, Walter Hemphill and Sam Arnold. Father they have served You faithfully all these many years - and we thank You and praise You for them. We ask, LORD God, that You be with them during this time of illness. We ask that You strengthen them and comfort them. Father, hold the wives of these two great men and their families close to Your heart as they go through this time. Bring them comfort of soul and spirit.
LORD of All, we lift up before You Crystal Snow, this little 10 year old girl, and all of the lost children in our society. Great is the measure of Your love - it has no boundaries, it has no limits and there is no one that it cannot reach. We ask that You pour Your love on all of these children and help them find their way back to You. You are their only hope in a world that is so bleak for them. Their parents have failed them, society has failed them, they have nothing left. Energize Your church to reach out to these children with Your love, help us to be the tools in Your hand that will bring them back to You. You are all that they really need.
Father, we pray for the counselors and staff up at Camp Sugarpine. Great comforter, comfort them and strengthen them as they deal with all the children that will pass through Camp Sugarpine this summer. Father, keep them strong as witnesses for You. Grant them the wisdom to speak effectively to these children and help them to find themselves in You.
We continue to ask Your healing and comfort for Rick and his family. We ask that the tests that Chantel is undergoing be successful and that she also finds her strength in You.
Father, we ask for traveling mercies on all of the family that is traveling or about to travel. We think of the Willis’ and their family. Bless them as they travel. Abba, we ask that You be with Willie and Joy as they are in Hawaii. Father, bring rest to them. Let everything go will on their vacation and bring them back to us restored and renewed.
Father we ask You blessing on each situation represented by the names that we call out before Your throne. Annie Dennis’ father, Cheryl, Mandy, Connie & her baby, Carola, Khamla,, Brent, Kris, Robert, Anna & her mom.
With gratitude we call out to You on behalf of all the missionaries that serve You in so many places in this world. In particular we ask Your blessings on The Reaching Hand Society, Larry and Jan Martin, Bounkham & Khamla, and Dr. George Pe Myat Win
Great Provider, we bring before You our pastors and the leadership of our church. We ask that You pour Your abundant blessings on them and that You provide for their every need. We lift before You all of our church family and ask that You strengthen us and give us eyes to see what You see and a heart to reach out to the lost in Your name. Father, our children’s ministries are so important. It is the fertile field in which the future of Your Church is trained up to follow You. We ask Your blessings on Marva Ward as she leads our Children’s ministries. Give her fresh vision and guidance. Father, we ask that You provide for the financial needs of our church. Help us to manage our resources in such a way as to glorify Your name.
Father, You have promised that if we who are called by Your name will call upon You, You will heal our land. LORD God Who sits enthroned upon eternity, we call out upon You and ask that You heal our land. Father, it seems that America turns further and further away from You each day. Use us in any way possible to turn our country back to You. Our desire is that the words, “One nation, under God,” be more than just part of our pledge but to be the reality of our country. We pray for wisdom for our leaders and safety for all those who faithfully serve in the military.
LORD Jesus, We know that You live and we know that You have redeemed us. We thank You for the promise that we will see You return to this earth as her King and that we will see the earth healed and restored through You. We thank You that justice and mercy will be the law of the earth in those days. Thank You for the joy of today and the promise of tomorrow, and of an eternity in Your presence. We love You - and we always will. Amen
PASTOR’S GOTTA SECRET!
Valerie Rae Hanneman
June 25, 2004
Deuteronomy 31:12 “ Assemble the people-men, women and children, and
the aliens living in your towns-so they can listen and learn to fear the
LORD your God and follow carefully all the words of this law.” (KJV)
Hebrews:10:25 “Not forsaking the assembling of ourselves together, as
the manner of some is; but exhorting one another: and so much the more,
as ye see the day approaching. (KJV)
Joy Nolte came up to me during choir practice. “Valerie, I need to
talk to you for just a second after practice - do you have a minute?”
Well, of course I did - but I was a wee bit worried. Had she finally
found out that all those sour off-notes were me? My only defense was that
Dennis said I was getting better - I was actually hitting some of the
notes now! But my singing ability (or the lack thereof) was not what
Joy wanted to talk to me about. (Whew!) As it turned out, Willie & Joy
were going to be gone for the weekend and their son, Clark, didn’t want
to go. I immediately volunteered to keep Clark. (My family really
enjoys the time he spends at my house.) Then Joy said, “We’re not letting
a lot of people know we are going to be gone - you know why.” And
unfortunately I did.
There had been a time when I off-handedly asked a staff pastor if they
were preaching the upcoming Sonday when Willie was going to be gone.
This pastor was surprised that I knew about Willie being gone because
they (staff) were trying to keep it low-key. When I asked why, I was
told that there was a drop in Sonday attendance when Willie wasn’t
preaching. I laughed in disbelief! Surely they were joking. They weren’t.
I went to Willie and asked if it was true and he confirmed it. But
there was still a part of me that was skeptical.
I knew of two other non-staff people - both of them well known as
regular attenders - who also knew that Willie was going to be gone that
weekend. I purposely looked for them and their families that Sonday - and
neither family was there. It made me wonder what the statistical odds
were that two of the three non-staff people that I knew were aware of
Willie’s impending absence would suddenly both have an emergency or an
illness that kept them out of services that same Sonday. I am not a
statistician nor am I an odds-maker- but even I could figure out that
66.6% of the people that I knew knew that Willie was going to be gone were
themselves gone that Sonday. That was enough to show me that the
belief that people would have more of a tendency to skip services when
Willie was gone - was correct. I was a skeptic no more.
How sad.
Is our service to God any less important just because the Senior Pastor
is gone?
Is the Sonday message from God any less vital to our well-being just
because the Senior Pastor is not preaching it?
In both the older Testament and in the newer Testament God is very
clear that He wants His people to assemble together regularly. Neither of
these verses contain a “get out of church free” card just in case Moses
or Paul did not show up that week. The work of the church was to go on
- regardless of who was filling the pulpit.
The same is true today - the work of the church is to continue -
regardless of who is filling the pulpit on any given Sonday.
I guess that the thought of missing church simply because Willie is
gone is so surprising to me because I love being at the church on Sonday
morning. I love to hear Willie preach just as much as the next person -
but when Willie is gone the only thing that is missing from Sonday
services - is Willie. The people are the same, the music is the same, the
order of service is the same - and although the preaching style may be
different - the message is the same. And most important of all - the
God that I worship when Willie is preaching is the same God I worship
when Willie is gone. And isn’t that where the focus of our Sonday
attendance should be? On the God we are worshiping and not on who is
preaching - or on who is not preaching?
Are we in church on Sonday because God is there - or because Willie’s
there? Who is it exactly that we are trying to impress?
I asked a friend once why they had missed the previous Sonday’s
service. She laughed and said that she had visited Bedside Baptist with
Pastor Sheets preaching. I was a little more naive back then so I didn’t
think anything of it. But as I mentioned it to somebody else I remarked
that I had never heard of Bedside Baptist. They laughed at me and
explained that “Bedside Baptist” and “Pastor Sheets” was a coy way of
saying that my friend had chosen to sleep in and miss church services.
What was really sad is that this friend who skipped church in order to
sleep in would never skip their secular job to sleep in.
I guess that it is a matter of where you set your priorities.
I am so glad that on resurrection morning Jesus did not decide to
attend Bedside Baptist. I am glad that His priority was to defeat death on
my behalf. I think that in light of what He did for me - I can make
meeting Him on Sonday morning a priority for me.
LORD Jesus, help us to keep our focus on You and Your message - and not
on the messenger who is delivering it. Help us to keep You as our most
important priority in our service, attendance and life.
Subscribe to the e-Ministry of Fresno First Baptist at
www.fresnofirst.org
Contact Valerie at valerie@fresnofirst.org.
I WANT TO WOW GOD!
Valerie Rae Hanneman
June 18, 2004
Psalm 98:4 “Make a joyful noise unto the LORD, all the earth: make a
loud noise, and rejoice, and sing praise” (KJV)
Psalm 100:2 “Serve the LORD with gladness: come before his presence
with singing” (KJV)
I love “religious” words. Words like omnipresent, omniscient, and
omnipotent. I love the way that they roll off your tongue and make you
sound so smart. I can even tell you what they mean (sort of). However,
my most favorite religious word is really simple and I know exactly what
it means (for me anyway). The word is “WOW!” and (for me) it means
Wide Open Worship!
I remember one of my first WOW! experiences. It was when I was a
counselor up at Camp Sugarpine. There was a woman who was very expressive
with her hands as we would sing. I watched her out of the corner of my
eye because I was not used to seeing someone raise their hands to God.
I will admit, I was a little critical of her. Why was she doing that?
Was she a showoff? Didn’t she care that people were looking at her
funny? I was curious about her (curious being the politically correct
word for snoopy) and so I started talking to her - getting to know her -
trying to understand her. I discovered a woman who tried to live her
life in wide open worship of God - who held nothing back from God. She
was the first to start me on my life-lessons about worshiping God.
My most recent WOW! experience came at last month’s Third Day concert.
I love Third Day. I love their WOW! music and from what I know about
the band - their lives back up the WOW of their music. I was really
excited about seeing them in concert - but there was a bit of a drawback.
Toby Mac was their opening act. Toby Mac is a Christian rap artist. I
don’t like rap. It is too loud and I can’t understand what they are
saying. But I would put up with having to listen to that horrible
“Christian rap” if it meant worshiping with Third Day. Toby Mac was
everything I feared he would be. His music was so loud I could feel my insides
jumping to the beat of his drums. I didn’t like it, I couldn’t
understand it and I couldn’t hardly wait for him to get off the stage so some
“real” Christian music could be enjoyed. All of a sudden Toby Mac and
his back-up group hit their knees, raised their hands to God, and
shouted out “I’m Yours!” I may not have understood most of what th!
ey were saying - but I understood that! That was WOW! In that moment
of recognition I let go of all my preconceived notions and prejudices
against Christian rap and I really listened to what the music was
saying. Although the worship style was something I was not familiar with -
the worship was the same and it was all directed towards God.
Worship is just as unique as every person is. My worship style is not
the same as yours. Your worship style is not the same as mine. But
our worship is the same - it is all directed towards God. That is the
bottom line of worship - it is directed towards God and gives us the
opportunity to pour out our love for Him in a style that is uniquely ours.
Does this mean that I have to make your style of worship my style of
worship? No, not at all. God is so big - so HUGE - that our finite
minds cannot even begin to grasp Him. He is enthroned on our praises and
He delights in all our various and individual styles of worship. And I
don’t think He wants my worship to be a copy-cat of yours.
What it does mean is that I cannot say - or believe - that because your
style of worship is not the same as my style of worship your style of
worship is not “real” worship. That is a big problem in God’s Church
these days - the divisions over worship styles. Praise choruses have too
much drums and guitar - it’s not real worship. Hymns are hundreds of
years old - it is not relevant worship. She puts her hands up in the air
too much - that is show-off worship. He stands there like a stick - he
doesn’t feel the worship. She is practically dancing - that is
irreverent worship. He isn’t singing - that isn’t worshiping.
From the very first offerings and worship by Cain and Abel, God has
been perfectly capable of determining what is acceptable worship. To put
it bluntly - who am I to decide on God’s behalf what is or isn’t
worship? Am I so foolish as to try to fit God into the box of what I believe
worship is? Oh no, no, no, no, no! God would not stay in the box the
Pharisee’s tried to put Him in, on resurrection morning He would not
stay in the box satan tried to keep Him in and He will not stay in the
box that I try to put Him in. From a hand-raising woman at Camp
Sugarpine to Toby Mac on his knees, God has patiently ( and unfortunately -
repeatedly) taught me that He and He alone determines what is “real”
worship.
God doesn’t look at the music style, He doesn’t look at body movements
or hand positions. He doesn’t care about the quality or the quantity
of the singing. He is looking for the heart of worship. He is looking
for WOW! Worship that is not held down or held back by anybody else’s
ideas but is the wide open expression of our love for Him.
I am drawn to WOW! I love it in my music - which is why I have such an
eclectic collection of CD’s. I have instrumental hymns, reggae gospel,
Third Day, Celtic Praise, A capella Worship, Skillet (alternative rock)
and yes, now I have a Toby Mac. I love WOW! in people. Those people
closest to me all have different worship styles - but they have the same
WOW! hearts. I love WOW! in ministry. I like being in ministry
positions that allow me to wide-open-worship God with my service.
I am drawn to WOW music, WOW people and WOW ministry because that is
what I want to be. I want to WOW God with every part of my life - what I
say, what I listen to, who I hang out with and what I do with my life.
Part of my WOW’ing God is to make sure that I do not try to limit
another person’s worship style by what I think of it - nor to allow another
to limit my worship style by what they think of it.
My God and King, I surrender all of me to You. My desire is for my
body, soul and spirit to be total WOW of You. Help me to tame my mind and
my tongue so that nothing I ever say or do limits another person’s
worship of You. Remind me as often as necessary that You determine what is
real worship - not me.
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Contact Valerie at valerie@fresnofirst.org