Soaring in Praise and Worship

As soon as Sis. Gallimore asked me to speak about Soaring in Praise and Worship, I started thinking and praying about what I wanted to say.  We arrived in Hawaii on Sunday, August 4th.  That Tuesday morning I went out for a run and came back with inspiration! 

My spot on Saturday morning as I prayed and reviewed my notes.

I decided to use the word SOAR as an acronym and teach from that.  This isn't my complete lesson, but here are my four main points:

S = Sacrifice

This means as a slaughter, the flesh of an animal.  In the Old Testament sacrifice always involved death.  In the New Testament Jesus was the ultimate sacrifice.

Romans 12:1 says, "I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that ye present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable unto God, which is your reasonable service."

Albert Barnes commentary said this, “A sacrifice is an offering made to God as an atonement for sin; or any offering made to him and his service as an expression of thanksgiving. It implies that he who offers it presents it entirely, releases all claim or right to it, and leaves it to be disposed of for the honor of God. In the case of an animal, it was slain, and the blood offered; in the case of any other offering, as the first-fruits, etc., it was set apart to the service of God; and he who offered it released all claim on it, and submitted it to God, to be disposed of at his will.  We must devote ourselves to God, as if we no longer had any claim on ourselves; to be disposed of by him; to suffer and bear all that he might appoint; and to promote his honor in any way which he might command.”

O = Oblation

This is not a word we use these days.  It is only found in the Old Testament, but the concept of an oblation is very interesting.  It means something brought near the altar.  It denotes any offering that is not a “bloody” sacrifice - a thank-offering; an offering of incense, flour, grain, etc.

In Numbers chapter 31, the children of Israel went to battle against the Midianites.  Twelve thousand men of Israel went to battle.  All the men of Midian were killed, but not a single Israelite was lost.

Numbers 31:49-50 says, "And they said unto Moses, Thy servants have taken the sum of the men of war which are under our charge, and there lacketh not one man of us.   We have therefore brought an oblation for the LORD, what every man hath gotten, of jewels of gold, chains, and bracelets, rings, earrings, and tablets, to make an atonement for our souls before the LORD."

This was a freewill offering, out of the spoil, over and above what was expected.  If we really want to soar in praise and worship we need to go over and above our reasonable service of sacrifice and bring an oblation.

A = Adoration

The words adore and adoration are not found in the Bible, although one of the definitions of worship is adore.

From Webster’s dictionary:

to worship or honor as a deity or as divine

to regard with loving admiration and devotion.

to be very fond of 

Mathew 8:2 says, "And behold, there came to him a leper and worshipped him, saying, Lord, if thou wilt, thou canst make me clean."  The leper worshipped before the need was met

Mathew 14:33 says, "And they that were in the boat worshipped him, saying, Of a truth thou art the Son of God."   Those in the ship worshipped after Jesus calmed the storm

It doesn't matter if you're in a storm or just coming out of a storm, it's always the right time to adore Him!

R = Rejoice

To brighten up, be gleesome, joyful, exceeding gladness, to shout for joy, to spin around

Full of cheer, calmly happy

I thought calmly happy was a very interesting definition.  It's not what we normally think of when we think "rejoice," it seems deeper than an outward demonstration.

1Samuel 2:1-2 says, "And Hannah prayed, and said: My heart exulteth in Jehovah; My horn is exalted in Jehovah; My mouth is enlarged over mine enemies; Because I rejoice in thy salvation. There is none holy as Jehovah; For there is none besides thee, Neither is there any rock like our God."

Mathew 2:10 says, "And when they saw the star, they rejoiced with exceeding great joy."  The definition of this word rejoice is calmly happy.

Conclusion:

To SOAR in worship and praise we must:

Bring the sacrifice of our lives,

Bring an oblation that is beyond what is expected

Adore Him because He’s worthy

Rejoice for all He’s done!

Soaring

A few days before we headed back to Hawaii I received a call from Sis. Gallimore.  Sis. G is the ladies leader for First Church Hawaii and she was calling to talk to me about a ladies retreat.  On August 23-25, about 15 ladies from First Church gathered at Nimitz Cove Cottages.

Our theme for the weekend was Soaring:  Soaring in Faith.  Soaring in Praise and Worship.  Soaring in Prayer.  Soaring in Peace.  Sis. G asked me to speak about Soaring in Praise and Worship.  I'll share some of my thoughts about that tomorrow.

We had a wonderful time connecting with the Lord and each other.  There are some ladies who are brand new in the Lord.  Others have been walking this way for a long time.  Each of us received blessings and encouragement through the Word and from time spent together.

I spoke about Soaring in Praise and Worship on Saturday morning.  We then took a break for an amazing activity.  We flew kites!  We spent a little time decorating them first, then we started soaring.  I probably haven't flown a kite in 45 years and this was so fun!

There was a lot of laughter as we got our kites off the ground.  But as our kites soared, the things we were focusing on became clearer.  Thinking about the effort it took to get the kite up made me think about how important it is to keep trying so we can soar in prayer.  Seeing our kites soar, watching as they stayed in the air, with little to no effort, made me think about soaring in faith.  As the kites floated safely in the air, I thought about what peace feels like.

Once the kites got up, they stayed up.  We soared!  That's what I want my life to be like!  Who knew that flying a kite could bring so many revelations?

Coming Soon...

After dropping Bill off at the airport on Wednesday evening, I went home to pack!  The Hawaii District Ladies Conference was held on the Big Island this year, so I flew over on Thursday morning and returned on Saturday evening.  Our guest speaker was Sis. Claudette Walker, a lady I spent many hours with back in the 90s at National Bible Quizzing Tournaments.  Bro. Walker was with her as they are headed to New Zealand today to teach at a marriage retreat.

The theme for the conference was "Be" and we attended our Thursday night banquet in our best black, white and yellow.  I'll tell you about my outfit in another post, but this little guy...

I have pages and pages and pages of notes!  Sis. Walker blessed us all so much with her three part series "Praise for the Perfect Potter from A Grateful Vessel."   It will take me a few days to process it all in my brain and get it typed up!  I know I'll be feasting on this for a long time to come.

I sent Les this picture with "greetings from the scorekeeper's table!"

Martha, Martha

Happy 100th day of the year!  Time is flying as usual.  I'm happy to report that I am still on track with my Bible reading.  I'm working my way through Luke now and the story of Martha has been on my mind for several days.

Luke 10:38 Now it came to pass, as they went, that he entered into a certain village: and a certain woman named Martha received him into her house.
39 And she had a sister called Mary, which also sat at Jesus' feet, and heard his word.
40 But Martha was cumbered about much serving, and came to him, and said, Lord, dost thou not care that my sister hath left me to serve alone? bid her therefore that she help me.
41 And Jesus answered and said unto her, Martha, Martha, thou art careful and troubled about many things:
42 But one thing is needful: and Mary hath chosen that good part, which shall not be taken away from her.

I think Martha is often portrayed as the ugly older sister of the sitting-at-Jesus'-feet Mary.  We hear her in a stern voice, glaring at her lazy sister.  But I think this story is for our learning, as all others in the Bible.  If that is the case, what can we learn?

First, what do we know about Martha?  Martha was the owner of the house that Jesus visited, probably the oldest of the three siblings and possibly a widow.  She felt the responsibility of guests that came through the door.  Jesus loved her (John 11:5) - in fact Martha is named in that verse while Mary is not.

What happened on this particular day?  Jesus came to Martha's house, with his followers.  We don't know if that was just the 12 or a large multitude.  We don't know how much warning Martha had.  Did the little boy down the street coming running to her house, "Martha, Martha, Jesus is on His way!"  Perhaps she received word 30 minutes prior to their arrival, but probably no more than that.  Jesus did not have a home, He relied on the kindness of His friends to provide food and a place to sleep.  Surely He was hungry when He arrived and would appreciate a good meal, right?

After reading a number of commentaries, the problem wasn't in Martha wanting to serve food.  It was the amount and variety.  A simple meal would have been sufficient, but it is thought that Martha prepared numerous meats and side dishes.  She was for much serving; plenty, variety, and exactness.  If we look a little more closely at the punctuation of verses 41 and 42, it could have easily have said, "thou art careful and troubled about many things: but one thing is needful."   One simple dish would have satisfied the hungry group and Martha could have rested at Jesus' feet as well.

So ladies, what can we do?  I know I love to prepare a beautiful meal for company.  I want things just so.  The dishes, the table cloth, the food.  But we can never exchange serving for loving.  Pare down the menu so you can be present with your guests.  Check your stress meter - are you in the red zone, ready to chew out the person who isn't helping because you are going so overboard you can't be helped?  Will your guests enjoy their time with you more if you pulled something out of a crock-pot that required little work or that six course meal you've spent three days working on?  If you're so exhausted you want to cry and your guests think they should probably head for the nearest exit, was it really worth it?

After studying and thinking about Martha, I really think she had a good heart.  After the death of Lazarus, it was Martha who first went to Jesus.  I re-read that story, without the stern voice, and found Martha to be a true believer.  Twice she says, "I know" and once she says "I believe."  This is not a woman only concerned with food.  I think Martha was a great help in the early church.  She knew who Jesus was and she knew how to get things done.  I also think that she got her priorities straight and we present day Marthas can do the same.

Weekend Wrap Up

We had a really fun and busy weekend!   It started with Ladies Night Out on Friday night.  Seventeen ladies from New Life Pentecostal joined the fun at Auntie Pasto's in Kunia!

The portions were huge!  Les was happy to eat my leftovers on Saturday.

Sis. Acasio was the last one to get her food.  She asked for a discount and the manager gave everyone at our table 20% off!

While we were waiting for our food, Sis. Mac got a very special call - Facetime with Pastor McGriffin in the Philippines!

We also had a special guest join us.  Sis. Cyndy White is a missionary to the country of Jordan.  After our meal she shared some of her burden.  The country of Jordan is 88% Muslim and it is against the law to convert anyone, but there are many international workers in the country and they are exempt from that law.  They have a Filipino congregation, along with a Sri Lankan work.  She is also involved in outreach to shelters, prisons, and refugees.  She only has two weeks left on her deputation schedule before she returns "home."  We're praying that her budget will be full and running over! (Like her plate of lasagna!)

Saturday afternoon was Praise Team practice.  I have enjoyed so much being a part of this team.  They are willing to let me join in when we are in town and it is fun to sing without the pressure of playing or being in charge!  Bro. Ryan does such a great job.  He is extremely talented in playing and singing, but has the most humble spirit.  He is very sensitive to the moving of the Spirit in service.  He is also very patient with us!

Following practice was Church Ohana (Family) Prayer.  We learned that Bro. Justin was going to be deployed to the Philippines to help in the rescue efforts.  We also prayed for Sis. Remy's family - one of her uncles and two aunts lived in Tacloban, the area hit hardest by Typhoon Haiyan, and they have not heard from them since.  Please pray for those needs!

Sunday evening was another great service!  The faces of the new ones who have recently been baptized and filled with the Holy Ghost brings such joy.  Les filled in since Pastor McGriffin was still out of town.  He preached, "Dethroning God."  It is impossible to remove God from his heavenly throne, but we can dethrone Him from the thrones of our hearts.

I'm so glad to be part of God's family.  Worshiping, fellowshipping, singing, laughing, eating, and praying together - God's family is the finest!

Hawaii District Ladies Conference 2013

I was privileged to be able to attend the HI-DLC this past Thursday through Saturday.  Held at the Doubletree Ala Moana, it was less than a half mile from our condo, so I got to attend all the services and still sleep in my own bed!

Sis. McGriffin greeting the ladies

It started off with a banquet on Thursday night.  The theme for the conference was "Fitly Framed" and they asked each lady to make their own frames (glasses) with prizes for the most creative, most fancy, most outrageous and most unique.  There was a lot of creativity in the room!  I was too busy laughing and getting to know people to take many pictures.

Ladies of New Life Pentecostal:

Sis McGriffin, Sis. Calhoun, Sis. Gallimore, and Sis. Monica

I spent a lot of time with my glasses OFF - they made it very difficult to breathe!

The winners!

Most Creative, Most Outrageous, Most Unique & Most Fancy

My glasses were made of a puzzle - I asked myself what gets framed and a puzzle is what I came up with!  99 Cents Only Store special.  The puzzle was of the USA, so I made sure to include California, Hawaii and Tennessee as part of my frame.

Services Friday morning, Friday night and Saturday morning were outstanding.  JUST WHAT I NEEDED.  The presence of the Lord was so beautiful, each speaker was anointed.

Ladies President - Sis. Debbie Sanders

Our guest speaker was Sis. Linda Gleason from Oregon.  Of course I was thrilled when I saw that she was the speaker - we met years ago when we were both involved in Bible Quizzing.  Les did a quizzing seminar in Oregon in about 1994.  Sis. Gleason said she could not figure out who I was!  It's a bit different looking at someone at the scorekeeper's table at a quiz tournament, then seeing them in a room full of ladies in Hawaii!  It was wonderful getting caught up with her and hearing how her children are all now grown and living strong in the Lord.  She just became a grandmother for the first time and she was pretty excited about that!

Sis. Linda Gleason

As a newcomer to the islands, it was great to meet so many wonderful ladies.  They are all so friendly!  There is such a spirit of unity. I came home refreshed and strengthened, bubbling over to Les about the fabulous time I had!

30 Days of Thanks - Day #16

I am thankful that I am a lady!

Yesterday morning as Les and I were riding down the trail towards home we met two cyclists going up the trail. We always say good morning to whoever we see and yesterday was no exception. When I said good morning, one of the riders said, "Well hello, Lady." It wasn't said in a crude way, but an acknowledgment of who I am. It made me smile as I continued riding!

I love being a lady. I enjoy dressing up, wearing high heels (but not too high!) with matching purses, and fixing my hair. I love shopping and giggling and decorating. I appreciate it when a man opens the door for me or shows respect for my femininity. I don't feel the need to prove myself in a "man's world." I am happy to be exactly who God created me to be!

And look, I even have a jersey that matches my bike! How many men would care about that??