The Habits of This Highly Effective (but Lost) Church Lay Leader

"Yet a time is coming and has now come when the true worshipers will worship the Father in spirit and truth, for they are the kind of worshipers the Father seeks."- John 4:23

I am an active part of our church's worship ministry and have been serving in such a role (or similar role in other churches) for 35 years. But it wasn't until just in the past eight to nine years or so that I've really come to understand what true worship really is. Up until then, if someone asked me what worship was, I would respond with going to church for a couple of hours, singing and/or playing a few hymns, listening to a sermon and going home. Or I might have said that it was the first twenty minutes of the same said service, where we would sing/play in order to "warm up" the congregation for the pastor's sermon.

Sadly, a lot of people don't get it when it comes to what it really means to be a Christ-follower and they don't understand what worship is really all about. I was one of those folks. And what's worse, I was in many leadership roles for a lot of years before I came to an understanding of what it means to follow Christ and to worship Him in Spirit and in Truth. I made a great member of my denomination, but I really didn't follow Christ and I most certainly didn't know the real meaning of worship.

I think if I had written a book about the worshipper's lifestyle several years ago, it probably would have looked like a poor facsimile of one of Steven Covey's popular "7 Habits" books... And it would have probably been aptly dubbed by those who knew me best as "The Habits of This Highly Effective (But Lost) Church Lay Leader." It would have included chapters like: 1) Dressing for Success: Putting on the Sunday Game Face, 2) Communication: How to bounce a long prayer off a ceiling and/or turning prayer requests into pry-er requests, 3) Manipulation and The Inner Circle: How to Win Friends in High Places, 4) Absolute Abandonment: How to attend Church every time the door is open and still not "get it", 5) Daily Walk: The Do's and Don'ts of living the life, 6)Serving: Working up a sweat (to try to get into Heaven), 7)Treasures: Giving when I want something back, 8) Personal Holier-than-thou-ness: My stuff doesn't stink, but yours sure does, 9) Testing: just learning all the stuff for the "final", and last, but not least, 1o) Whose Church is it anyway? (It's all about me.)

The truth is I was taught how to live the Christian life, but like so many others, I really failed in actually understanding what it meant to truly know Jesus in a personal way. As I have shared in previous posts, I went through all of the motions of becoming a Christian, but there was no substantial evidence of Christ in my life outside the walls of the church or Christian circles.

And then the gig was up.

Life began to fall apart for me. My husband had died. I was left with very little monetarily. I left a poorly paying ministry-related job in our denomination's state convention office for another that seemed to pay better, only to realize that was a BIG mistake. Then I spent the next nine months searching for another job, all the while my credit was going into the toilet and my former employer was to blame. In addition, I was having all sorts of nightmares about my dead husband. Then I started having nightmares following watching a series of movies similar to the "Left Behind" series as well as the first of "Left Behind" movies. I could see myself in the role of the associate pastor in that first Left Behind movie - although I was one who was a church lay leader, I had all sorts of knowledge, but really had no relationship with God.

Then, like Humpty-Dumpty, I fell apart.

And nothing I did or said would put Humpty back together again. I knew all of the right stuff to say... all the right things to do. But somehow, life just wasn't playing out right for me.

And I couldn't figure out why.

Soon I started paying attention to some things, and decided to have a heart-to-heart discussion with a long-time friend, who knew me well. And it was in his office that I finally came to the point of genuine Surrender.

After thinking about a lot of this, I would like to share several thoughts with you along the lines of the same topics that I think would have been in my facetious book above and spend the next several weeks talking about what it means to be the kind of worshipper the Father seeks. However, I would also like to be certain that I am not just filling the heads of some folks who may be in the same position as I was in prior to having a real relationship with Jesus, and not introducing their hearts to a real, vibrant, personal relationship with Jesus. As I write these posts, while parts of them will be tongue-in-cheek, I want to be sure that they always come back to pointing folks to a Savior. So we will come back to the topic of true worship and what that actually means, according to the Bible.

I also want to make it clear that it's not my job to be The Holy Spirit. There is a Holy Spirit and I am not Him. Nor do I want to do His job for Him. However, I am expecting that God could use this series to open the eyes and ears (and hopefully, hearts) of those who may be in the same position that I was just a few years ago. Rest assured, however, that if you happen to read these posts (or any other of my posts) and find yourself in that same position, there is a Savior... And you can know Him. He already knows and loves you. I'd love to show you how you can know Him!

So, stay tuned. We'll go for several weeks, through most of the Thanksgiving and Christmas Seasons. There may be some weeks when we break because God will lead us to do something a little bit different. But for the most part, this is where we will be headed for the next several weeks.

The Christmas Card list....

"O Lord, you have searched me and known me! You know when I sit down and when I rise up;you discern my thoughts from afar. You search out my path and my lying downand are acquainted with all my ways. Even before a word is on my tongue,behold, O Lord, you know it altogether. You hem me in, behind and before,and lay your hand upon me. Such knowledge is too wonderful for me;it is high; I cannot attain it." - Psalm 139:1-6


It's already beginning to look a lot like Christmas around here! Rehearsals for Christmas performances have started. A friend of mine said it best yesterday:" Yes. I am a church musician. I fa-la-la-la-la in October!"

Last night, I purchased the first of the Christmas gifts for three of the men on my list. I was delighted to find that the little things I found, though trinkets to be sure, will be cool gifts for some guys in my family that I know well.

I also bought a small box of Christmas cards the other day. While we don't typically send out cards to a gazillion folks as some people I know are in the habit of doing, we do send out a few to some folks on our list.

It was the Christmas card list that has me thinking today... Some of the names on that list used to be very close friends. Friends that I spent a lot of time with on a daily basis in the past. Friends that I could tell you everything about, including what they would order from a fast food place back in the day. But time and distance has delegated that those friendships now are a part of nothing more than the Christmas card list....

What was once an intimate relationship has turned to a once a year greeting from one another. We may send a Christmas brag letter to these folks, just to catch them up on all of the news of the past year... but little else transpires to keep the fires of the friendship burning. We may occassionally see one another from time to time and attempt to pick up where we left off, but it really isn't the same.

I hope that my relationship with God doesn't ever become like that. I hope God doesn't ever become a Christmas card list friend.

One of the things that used to scare me when I was sitting in church years ago was when pastors or Christian friends would talk about having an "intimate personal relationship with Jesus." I never understood what that meant. But in a very real sense, this is what I have grown to understand that it means:

God knows me.
God KNOWS me.
God knows ME.

Every single part of me.

My heart.
My head.
My hair-brained moments.
My genius attempts.
My likes.
My dislikes.
My personality.
My fears.
My cheers.
My challenges.
The things that make me tick.
The things that make me sick.
The things that make me laugh.
The things that make me cry.

Inside and out.
Upside down and sideways.

He knows ME.

And He loves me!


And you're asking... How do I know that?

Well...

The Bible tells me that He sent His Son as a gift. (John 3:16, Romans 3:23)

He sends me little gifts and surprises sometimes that are tailor-made for me.

He answers prayer, sometimes before I have even asked.


And I am getting to know Him in the same way.

What He likes.
What He doesn't like.
What makes Him smile.
What makes Him cry.
What makes Him tick.
What makes Him sick.
What makes Him happy.
What dissappoints Him.

And I am trying to live my life to please Him.
I want to do things that will make Him happy.
And though I know that He is never "surprised" by the things I may do for Him, I still try to do little things that I know will bring Him joy.

I want that relationship with God to stay current. I want to visit with Him in His house regularly. I want to spend time with Him daily... talking, listening, learning from Him. I want to do things that will make Him happy.

And it never fails, He is always giving me the best little gifts of love that show me how well He knows me and that He thinks of me, too.

So, I ask you... What does your Christmas card list look like?

That's My King!

This is a link to a favorite video... Enjoy!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=upGCMl_b0n4

He's Got Your Back!

"I have set the Lord always before me. Because he is at my right hand, I will not be shaken. Therefore my heart is glad and my tongue rejoices; my body also will rest secure, because you will not abandon me to the grave, nor will you let your Holy One see decay. You have made known to me the path of life; you will fill me with joy in your presence, with eternal pleasures at your right hand." -Psalms 16:8-11

My friends, Bruce Wethey and Lisa LaCrosse, are a unique couple. Bruce is a professional violinist and Lisa is a professional flautist. They met in Miami many years ago, while playing with the Miami Symphony. They are among some of the finest musicians in our country, having played in some of the best concert halls in the country (can you say Carnegie?), and having had a following as classical artists.

It's not often that you see folks in the classical field with the giftedness that Bruce and Lisa have to offer cross over to the Christian instrumental side of music. Actually, more often, Christian artists are sometimes guilty of crossing over to the secular side of music and leaving faith far behind them.

God had a different plan for these two, however, and they now travel as Christian instrumentalists, trading Carnegie Hall for local churches, and doing ministry. Bruce has played with folks like Twila Paris and Michael W. Smith, among others, but more often than not, you will see Bruce and Lisa traveling together across the country as a husband and wife team, as lead worshippers together with local church folks. They understand that their calling is to meet folks in ministry and to offer their gifts back to God. And they wouldn't have it any other way.

A little of their story...

Lisa has struggled with non-malignant brain tumors and has had several surgeries over the years to remove them. Yet, Lisa will be the first to tell you that when following Christ, there is a joy that sustains her!!! She trusts completely in the loving care that her Heavenly Daddy gives to her. She knows that even in the midst of pain, and the trials that come with her daily battles, she can trust Him to take care of her every need.

It was during the first of one such surgery that Bruce found himself face to face with the question of his own eternity, and he met with a pastor who befriended him during Lisa's hospital stay. That led to the beginning of his journey as a Christ follower. Lisa, on the other hand, had come to Christ as a teenager, while watching a Billy Graham crusade on television. She will quickly tell you that she was not discipled following that decision. And it wasn't until much later that she began to grow in her relationship with Christ.

I remember one particular time a few years ago when we were at our church in Virginia, and Lisa had had yet another surgery just a few weeks prior, and Bruce and Lisa came to Virginia, to minister to the senior adults* there. I was absolutely amazed that she was there!!! I asked her how in the world she managed to do that! She told me that her biggest issue at that time was exhaustion, but that the "Lord would provide her strength."

(* Quick funny story about that particular concert: I am a looooong way from being old enough to go to Senior Adult functions, but because Bruce and Lisa were friends, and because I had actually won a contest to name their latest album at that time, Offering, I begged our Senior Adult Pastor to allow my husband and me to crash the party.... He gladly gave in. When I got there, Bruce made sure to "card" me. :) That's the only time I think I have ever been "carded" at a church event. Smile.)

Often, I think we get discouraged when we hit some kind of a snag in our walk and we wonder if God is really there for us. And we do like Elijah did: we go and hide our own makeshift caves, and then start to get depressed because things may not necessarily be "peachy" for us. And we'll start to whine and moan and complain... But then, God comes around and asks, "What in the world are you doing in here?" And in that still small voice, He shows us Himself... (I Kings 19:12)

Whatever it is that you are facing, remember that God is in control. He loves you and He knows about every single thing that you are going through. And while there may be times that we may not understand what it is that He is trying to accomplish on this side of glory, we can know that His plans for us are perfect and His ways are true. And somehow, someway, He will use whatever those circumstances to benefit His kingdom and His glory.

Following Christ doesn't bring about the absence of trials and tribulations. But what I can tell you is that you can still find joy in knowing that your loving Heavenly Daddy has your back.

Another lesson from the Doolittles: Walking in Victory

"It is for freedom that Christ has set us free. Stand firm, then, and do not let yourselves be burdened again by a yoke of slavery." Galatians 5:1

There's a scene in the classic, "My Fair Lady" where Alfred P. Doolittle (Eliza's dad) visits the home of Professor Henry Higgins, proposedly to fetch his daughter, Eliza, after he has learned that she is staying with him. Alfie doesn't know of the experiment or bet that Professor Higgins and Colonel Pickering have made with one another regarding Eliza. But he has learned from another flower girl that Eliza sent for her things and didn't ask for any clothes! He incorrectly assumes that his daughter has begun selling herself as a prostitute. So, Alfie, being that he is her father, has decided that he should get a cut of her "earnings" and proceeds to see what he can get from the arrangement between them. He knows the professor is obviously wealthy and asks for a simple five pound note from him.

When questioned by Colonel Pickering as to whether he has any morals, Alfie gives him a puzzling glance (that basically says, "do you?"), pauses and responds with, "No. I cannot afford them. And neither could you, if you were as poor as I am." Then he proceeds to launch into a whole monologue about how he is of the undeserving poor, and how he "plans to remain so, because I like it." Professor Higgins is so intrigued by it, that he offers him more, but Alfie turns him down, asking for only the five pound note. (He doesn't want to be launched into the middle class.)

This entire scene is so typical of the human condition, isn't it? Just like Alfie Doolittle, I think people sometimes come to God with the hand out, asking Him to bless us with a (fill in the blank as to whatever your petty "five spot" might be.) We know we're undeserving and we plan to stay that way. No need to get caught up in all of that religious or moral "stuff"... just get what you think you deserve from God and go back to things the way that you want them to be. No harm. No foul. Others are doing things that are worse, and who am I to judge them or they me, right?

To that argument I say, HOGWASH! As long as you or I continue in the life of habitual sin and fail to see the need for walking with Christ on a daily basis, we will always remain a slave to sin and we will never see victory. Sin will always hold a defeated audience in captivity. Freedom comes when we willfully turn away from whatever it is that holds us in bondage, and turn to Christ and begin to follow Him.

Jesus said, "If anyone would come after me, he must deny himself and take up his cross daily and follow me." (Luke 9:23)

Time to give habitual sin the boot! Then willfully turn and start following after Christ. The journey is long, but the rewards are sweet!

P.S. Can I be real here? I am adding this on Wednesday morning, the day after I wrote this post. When I was writing this yesterday, I began to think of the issues in my own life where I fall short. But I failed to place them here. And this morning, the Holy Spirit has been convicting me to "'fess up" as we are fondly known to say in the South.

In the past seventeen years, I have put on more than seventy pounds! I really struggle with overeating. I have been to Bible Study after Bible Study to try to help with this, but until I simply learn to put down the fork when I am full and walk away, those Bible Studies are all useless! I can fill my head and my heart with all sorts of knowledge about how to eat, but I will never be an effective servant of Christ until I learn to do battle with the Little Debs and the carrot cake! There's nothing wrong with those things by themselves, but if I am not hungry, those things should never enter my mouth.

I have learned the rules: Food for fuel is fine. God intended for food to be fuel. We don't continue to put gasoline in our cars if the tank is full, do we? But eating for the sake of eating (just because it's there) is not. If I am using food to console myself instead of running to God for consolation, then I am living in disobedience to God, and that would be sin. If I am using food as a means of celebration when I am not hungry (such as at a party or a church function), then that, too is also sin. If I am loading up the plate at a buffet line when a half spoonful will do, I have overdone it.

But as long as those rules are in my head, and I don't apply them to my life, the pounds are going to pile up and the scales are always going to read higher. Until I learn to walk away from the Swiss Cake rolls, and say no when I am not at all hungry, then I am living a defeated life!

So I am asking you to pray for me. I need to be held accountable here. This is an area where I need to shrink and He needs to increase.

Center Stage...

"But I, when I am lifted up from the earth, will draw all men to myself." - John 12:32

This past week I have been in rehearsals for a local theatre company's production of "My Fair Lady." I am in the pit orchestra as a hired musician. I have enjoyed playing with this particular group a couple of times now. Most of the players are Christian musicians and are playing in local church groups around town.

One night earlier this week, there was a stage direction given to the cast for a particular scene because of some changes being made in the way that some backstage scene changes were going to have to take place.

And then it dawned on me.

When it comes to corporate worship, Who takes center stage of our worship services????

The correct answer should always be Jesus! But I had to ask myself whether we always make that happen. Do I make that happen? Do you?

I remember a few years ago, when a couple of friends and I wrote a Choir musical called, "For Thou O Lord" there was a scene where Jesus was at the wedding of Cana. And we had choreographed Jesus to be watching while some of the party goers were dancing, as would have been the custom at any Hebrew wedding reception... At one point, Jesus and His disciples join into the authentic dance with the bride and groom. Some of the folks at our church got a little upset with us because they were not expecting that our Lord would dance!!!!

God forbid that Jesus might actually participate in something that was completely biblical and customary for Him to do as a Jewish male at a wedding during this time! I am being totally sarcastic here. But I think you understand my point.

Here's a deeper question: Do we try to "work around" the Jesus Who is fixated at Center Stage ???? Or is He involved in everything you and I do? Is He permeating all of our worship, or is He so attached to the place that we have set as center stage that when we are downstage or upstage or backstage that we leave Him behind?

It's almost expected that God would be able to comfort us when we are sad, be a friend when we're lonely, heal us when we are sick...

Do we allow Him to dance with us through every act of celebration? To get overjoyed with us??? To get happy feet with us???

Is Jesus pleased with all of our worship???

I hope He dances!

What We're About: Namely, Christ

"My purpose is that they may be encouraged in heart and united in love, so that they may have the full riches of complete understanding, in order that they may know the mystery of God, namely, Christ, in whom are hidden all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge." - Colossians 2:2-3

When the Apostle Paul wrote these words in the letter to the church at Colossae, they were to a group of people he had not had the pleasure of meeting face to face. He was wanting this particular group to know that he was laboring alongside them (in Spirit) for the cause of Christ, though not physically nearby.

These two verses really sum up Paul's purpose for the entire book of Colossians. He was clearly burdened for them (v.1.) He wanted them to be encouraged, united in love and to have a complete understanding -- "the mystery of God, namely, Christ"!

When I consider a purpose or mission statement for the Mourning into Dancing blog and ministry group, I would like to adopt these verses. This is what we are entirely about.

First and foremost, we are about encouragement. The word encouragement in both the Old and New Testaments simply means, "Comfort." Whether it is a matter of helping a young widow through a time of or a fellow Christ-follower in a time of need, it is my desire to offer encouragement to those who would seek it.

Secondly, Paul mentioned unity. The Greek here implies a knitting together of lives in love, in the same way that woven yarn can be used to make a garment or a blanket. Those strands of yarn are woven together and together serve a purpose that alone they could not accomplish. In the same way, Paul was saying that we, as Christ followers are also woven together with the purposes of love.

The reason we are woven together in love has to do with what Paul says next. It is so that "they may have the full riches of complete understanding in order that they may know the mystery of God, namely Christ, in Whom are hidden all the treasures of mystery and knowledge." The mystery of God is Jesus. The knowledge would be like gaining an unlimited wealth of knowledge, and an unfathomable spiritual treasure that would last through eternity in Christ!

Simply put, it is our chief desire to point others to Jesus, and to Him alone.

He is our Salvation.
He is our Redeemer.
Our Savior.
Our Deliverer.
Our Friend.

I'm glad that you've joined us for the journey we'll take together! As we search for God's hidden nuggets of truth together, it is my sincere prayer that you will find Him as one who finds great treasure!
If you've been reading this blog for a while now, you've been hearing me talk a lot about Jesus! And I would say that probably several of my faithful readers already have a relationship with God. But perhaps you are someone who doesn't know this Jesus I've been talking about all along. Maybe you just stumbled upon this blog while surfing.... And you kept reading. And in reading, you realize that you want to know this Jesus I've been writing about.

It's no accident that you are here!

God loves you and desires to have a relationship with you! The Bible says, "For God so loved the world that He gave His One and Only Son, that whoever believes in Him will not perish but have everlasting life." (John 3:16)

Because we live in a fallen world, we cannot enter the presence of a holy God on our own. The Bible says, "For all have sinned and come short of the glory of God." (Romans 3:23) The word "Sin"comes from an archery term. To have sinned, it means you simply miss the target for which you are shooting. When we sin in spiritual terms, we have missed God's mark... that mark of perfection that He requires as a Holy God to enter His presence.

The Bible also says that, "The wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ Our Lord." (Romans 6:23) The word "wage" here means payment. The payment for sin is not only physical death, but more importantly, the payment for sin is spiritual death. Without God's Salvation, we cannot live!
It is God's free gift -- but it was not without cost. God's gift of Salvation to us, cost His Son, Jesus, His Life. You see, Jesus, Who was without sin, gave His life on the cross in payment for the penalty of our sin. (Romans 5:8) It is up to us to accept this free gift of Salvation.

The Bible tells us in I John 1:9, "If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness."You can do that by simply asking Him to take over your life. (I think I just said something to the effect of "Jesus, please be the Boss of Me." And then I gave Him complete control of me from that day forward.) Romans 10:9-10 says, "That if you confess with your mouth, "Jesus is Lord," and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. For it is with your heart that you believe and are justified, and it is with your mouth that you confess and are saved."


When you accept God's free gift of Salvation, you become a child of God! You are adopted into the family of God and receive all of the rights and privileges of being a joint heir with Jesus! (Romans 8:15-17)

If you have decided to become a Christ-follower and have entered into a personal relationship with Him today after reading this blog, please let me know! I would love to rejoice with you in your new found relationship with God! It's also important that you find a local Bible-believing church in your area that will help you grow in your new relationship with Christ. If you need help in finding a church, I will happily connect you with folks who can help you do that, and most of them can give you materials as well that can help you get started in your walk with God.

It is my sincerest prayer that you would begin that relationship with Him today!