Pressing Into the Moment

On Saturday, I attended a School of Worship at Global Awakening.  Steve Swanson was the instructor for the course.  Even though I've been involved in worship ministry for a number of years it is always good to keep learning and go to places where you can glean new spiritual ideas and practical skills.  Steve was a great instructor and a very talented and capable worship musician/leader.  The worship on Saturday was wonderful and contained some music that was fresh and new to me.  I deeply enjoyed the class time.  There are 4 more sessions that would be very worthwhile for any worship team to attend.  If you are looking for a 'chock-full of practical worship musician skills kind of session' coupled with a powerful presence of the Lord, Steve's sessions are one's to attend.  

The website is http://www.globalawakening.com - Look under 'global', 'conferences', 'school of worship 2 November'.  

While the instruction was very top notch and worship times were very beautiful and skillfully led, the best moment for me was a very short word of instruction from Steve.  Steve said to listen well for the still, small voice or the small picture, from the Lord, and then to press into it.  It really hit me this was certainly very key to prophetic songs and worship leading.  Sometimes the Lord speaks very strongly but often it is a whisper that we must listen for and pursue.  Once you start pursuing it, the words and picture fill in with the details as you follow the Lord's leading.  For a worship leader or musician, it is often following the whisper in a step of faith to speak, sing, or play prophetically.  

Songwriters move in the same way.  I usually get just a glimpse of an idea for a song.  I have to lean into it or even fall completely immersed into it, in order to write the song.  Even then, sometimes, I don't completely understand what I just wrote.  Like a pastor developing a message or teaching, I have to chase the idea.  Some of those paths and ideas dead-end and stop.  When I follow the right paths, the road continuously opens up into new ideas and avenues of musical and lyrical thoughts and themes.  A song is born and an expression of worship to the Lord springs to life from inside of me.

Even before Saturday, the Lord whispered the same thing to me.  On Thursday, a song came in almost an instant when I pressed into the presence of God during a time of prayer and worship.  Early Saturday morning, when I woke up, the Lord said the expression of my song was 'a moment unfolding'.  Everytime I sing it and find myself in the Lord's presence, the moment will unfold a little more.  It all starts with the moment of engagement with the Lord and blooms from there.  My song sounds a little silly as it talks about being under my tent.  The tent in the song is my prayer shawl I purchased in Jerusalem.  My favorite place of His presence at the moment is under my prayer shawl.  It is not something from my own traditions - you won't find many EUB's or Methodists with prayer shawls.  You won't find it in our current church.  The Lord asked me to pray to Him this way and so I do, and I find a beautiful presence and warmth there.  Silly to some, wonderful to me.  So the song to be ever unfolding is this:

Holy Spirit, Your Way

c2008 Mark Grosz

I am under my tent.

Your holy fire draws near.

The veil of heaven's opened,

By Your blood I am made pure.

I am under Your wings.

Your holy fire is here.

The veil of heaven's opened,

By Your blood I am made pure.

Holy Spirit, Your way.

Holy Spirit, Your way,

Holy Spirit have Your way.

  

Press into the word the Lord whispers to you, my friends, and see how incredibly full and rich even one word from the Lord is!  Taste and see that the Lord is good! Let the whisper and the word of the Lord unfold and beautifully bloom in and from  you.

Blessings,

Mark

Whose responsible for discipleship?

So discipleship.... Who's responsible? Who is accountable? Who needs to make sure discipleship gets done?

After a bit of reading today, one thing was impressed on my mind. Discipleship or the lack of it is a big problem. It seems the moral fabric of society is breaking down and people don't even notice. C. S. Lewis writes in Mere Christianity writes that people know right from wrong. They may argue about it but they know, even when they argue the other direction. Something deep inside informs them that sin is sin, whether they admit to it or not.

Discipleship forms our character into Christ-likeness and would seem to be, by my reading and experience, a mix of God imparting directly, us making an effort to learn and a direct effort to control ourselves, us practicing disciplines to strenthen us in areas where our direct efforts fail, and a healthy dose of the Lord's grace.

In our society, we have tasked the 'corporation' (schools, churches, government, etc) with the task of teaching us and our families. I am not sure why we gave up the power over what our children are taught. In the case of discipleship, we expect the 'church' to provide discipleship and be responsible for growing us in our faith. We, as people, have avoided this responsibility long enough. Discipleship is up to us. Yes, churches can provide the opportunities and arrange places for discipleship to happen. The responsibility to take advantage of the opportunity is our own.

Not only that, but we are personally responsible to disciple others too. We are accountable to God not just to grow ourselves but to grow others. This is not just for the professional full-time minister. We all need to ask ourselves,

1. Are we growing ourselves spiritually?
2. Who else are we growing spiritually?
3. What's the plan for both?

Blessings -

Mark

Looking Into the Distance

Seems like in the spin of everyday living I can develop a short-sightedness in my view of what is going on in my life.  I can so easily lose focus on that point in the distance where I am steering for.  To regain perspective, there is nothing like sitting on the deck of a beach house, with a nice cup of coffee, gazing off towards what seems like an infinitely distant horizon, where sky and ocean merge, and wondering about faith and life.  It is good to recover the long-run perspective of life and helps me rediscover what is most important to me in life and faith-walk.  It's not that I need to write the next 5-year plan for me life (no thank you) but I do need to correctly perceive the direction the Lord is leading me in to be able to recognize the paths and the doors he is opening for me.  I need to know the daily lines up with the long-run journey God's is walking me through.

Peace and perspective to you all...

 

 

Good Dirt?

I have just a short bit of wandering tonight to share.  In Matthew 13, you will find the familiar parable of the sower.  Jesus tells the story and then explains the meaning of the story where the farmer sows seed along a path, on a rocky place, in a field choked with weeds, and in a place of good soil.  The meaning of the story is focused on the type of soil a person is when they receive the seed of the message of the Kingdom.  

As I get ready to start a course at Rockbridge Seminary, about Discipleship, it comes to mind that the Church (the Fellowship of Believers) needs to be mindful of what type of soil we are.  The Lord plants people in our soil (our church) who have a precious seed of the Kingdom planted in them.  Are we, as the Body of Christ, a place that is rich with nutrients, a nurturing environment for new believers and seekers of God, or are we a place the stunts the growth of the seed of God's Kingdom and chases away the lost?  We honestly should look for evidence in our church that we are the deep, rich soil that we should be.

At a personal level, we should also look at our own interactions with all believers.  Are we good dirt or not?  Years ago, on a whim drive across southern Minnesota, I encountered a place called Blue Earth.  The soil was supposed to be so dark and rich that it looked blue.  Working in the garden, I can imagine what that richest of soils would look, feel and smell like.  Discipleship is an important part of our purpose in life.  We accountable to the Lord to be responsible stewards of the gifts the Lord has pressed into and grown in our lives.  The gifts are for the encouragement and building up of the Body of Christ.  Are you being the good kind of dirt?  

Blessings,

Mark    

The Glory of the Lord

In church, we say and sing about longing to see the glory of the Lord.  This past week, my son and I did a wonderful father and son trip and hiked a section of the Appalachian Trail in Pennsylvania.  For the novices we are, it was quite an undertaking.  I can tell you, the people they call thru-hikers definitely deserve some respect.

As we turned off the country road we started on, onto the AT, I prayed that the Lord would show me His glory in the nature around us.  While in places, our attention needed to be where each footstep was falling, we did look around a good bit.  The beauty of the LORD's creation is rich.  The earth is the LORD's creative work.  It is His glory and for his glory and pleasure.  The earth and the heavens display the work of his hands, his perfect, holy, creative genius.  We saw trees, mountains, streams, and the beautiful greenness of spring.  If you go to http://www.mightyrivermusic.com, you can see some of our pictures.  God's creation is a wonder.  The Lord is amazing.

  

So today and onward, instead of just breezin' through on your way to work, take a breath and truly look at the beauty of the Lord's creation that enfolds you.  Let the praise of all creation stir worship up in you.  

Open Heavens, my friends...

Mark

Nature in Turmoil

Yesterday when I was talking with a neighbor, she remarked about all the natural disasters and calamities that happened last week. Today, one of the National Geographic sites had pictures and comments about all these events from over the last few weeks.

This morning, I read Psalm 46 and found peace and assurance in the midst of all these happenings. Those who know the Lord can hear His voice as He silences the worries and prevents the stealing of our peace. Psalm 93 states that God is mightier than the chaos caused by the natural forces of this world. In fact, Psalm 93 says the Lord reigns over and above all natural forces.

Take comfort and peace, this is what God's Word says to us:

"God is our refuge and strength, always ready to help in times of trouble. So we will not fear when earthquakes come and the mountains crumble into the sea. Let the oceans roar and foam. Let the mountains tremble as the waters surge! (Psalm 46 NLT)"

Psalm 46 goes on to say, "The LORD of Heaven's Armies is here among us. The God of Israel is our fortress."

Take up your peace and throw down the turmoil coming against you. The LORD of Heaven's Armies is among us, my friends.

Gifts of the Holy Spirit

This past Wednesday, Bob and Zory Klinger started a 3 week series on the Gifts of the Holy Spirit. It reminded me of a teaching from the Holy Spirit that hit me, in a Brother Lawerence kind of way, as I made supper one night. Here is the teaching:

The Cutting Board and the Oil of the Holy Spirit

When I was cleaning up the kitchen yesterday, I thought to ask the Lord to teach me and speak to me. Immediately, this lesson on the Holy Spirit came to me.

My task of the moment was to apply some oil to our new wooden cutting board. As I applied the oil to the board, the lessons were revealed. First, the oil brought forth the beauty in the wood that was hidden only moments before. The light brown surface was transformed into swirls of different rich browns and reds. Second, what was unseen and only hinted at was now completely revealed with surprising clarity. Instead of the dull, flat tan of the wood there was vivid swirls and grain patterns. Thirdly, there was an easy to see difference between what wood was light and which was dark - discernment. The lines between light and dark were clear and there was no halfway. Lastly, the Lord showed me that the oil made the wood impervious to water, stains, and any oils coming from items cut up on the board.


Interpretation:

1. The Holy Spirit brings great beauty to us. There is a beautiful glow about people who are overflowing with the Holy Spirit. Often I know when people are truely engaged with the Lord during worship times because of the beauty of the Holy Spirit resting upon them.

2. The Holy Spirit brings clarity to life. If you are seeking clarity of purpose in your life, then seek for more of the Holy Spirit. The Lord reveals His purposes and plans for His people through the Holy Spirit.

3. Discernment between good and evil. Sometimes it is very hard to see the difference in the grey areas, or at least what we perceive as grey. Even some things which seem good may not be what the Lord's intentions are for us, and so would not be good (and may even bring hurtful and painful results). The Holy Spirit also brings clarity in this type of discernment between what is light and dark. The Holy Spirit reveals the true heart and nature.

4. Imperviousness is something the Holy Spirit also brings. When the Holy Spirit is full in us then our eyes are on the Lord. When God at the center and we are walking in His plans and purposes, guided by the Holy Spirit, then the Lord's covering is on us. The stain of sin can't penetrate in through the barrier of the Holy Spirit. Our faith does not get thinned and watered down (doubtful or wavering faith) but the Holy Spirit brings forth hope and faith in the Lord.


The Lord revealed other lessons about how to receive from the Holy Spirit. It is important to pour the oil on the board, spread it around, work it into even the hidden areas, and let it soak in. Don't just pour the oil on the board and quickly wipe it off. Take time to especially work it into areas that are as yet untouched by the oil, especially along the edges.

Interpretation:

1. Allow the Holy Spirit to work into your life. Spend time with the Lord in prayer time, worship time, reading (and chewing) His Word. Listen to worship music even when doing other tasks. Sing to softly to yourself and pray even in the midst of a busy day while shopping, driving, or whatever.

2. Receive soaking ministry either during a regular ministry time or even just putting on a CD and sitting or lying down. Don't pray, sing, or speak. Just be quiet and let the Holy Spirit minister to you. Take the time to receive from the Lord.

3. Allow the Holy Spirit access to the secret hidden places of your heart. Find your sharp, dry edges and let the Holy Spirit's oil be applied to those places as well.

4. Where there are cracks and wounds in our life, allow the Holy Spirit to apply balm there. Receive His healing for those places. Allow the oil of the Holy Spirit to penetrate and lift off the dirt, grime, and the effects of your sin or other's sin from your life.

Blessings!

Mark
http://www.mightyrivermusic.com/