Prayer is a two-way communication between us and God. One of the wonderful privileges of prayer is that we can come to God “just as we are.” The blood of Christ gives us the privilege to enter the throne room of grace with confidence (Hebrews 4:16). However, it is important to also grow in our … Continue reading Growing in Prayer through the Psalms (Daily Office)

In Personal Worship it is so easy to just jump right into the spiritual disciplines. We are so accustomed to “doing” that it is hard for us just to “be” – which is where we need to be when we meet with Jesus. There are so many things that fill our hearts and minds – … Continue reading Being Present to Jesus

One of the great benefits of a Personal Worship approach to solitude is the anticipation and expectation of “hearing the voice” of our Lord, the Great Shepherd and the Lover of our Soul. While the language I use is rather intuitive/feeler oriented, I believe that God desires to speak to us in ways we can … Continue reading Hearing God’s Voice in Scripture

Worship is more than a song. Worship is more than just what we do once a week in a congregational setting. Why? Because Jesus wants all of us, all of the time. Jesus wants us 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, 365 days a year. You might be wondering: how can this be? … Continue reading Jesus 24/7?

Maybe it’s just me, but I’ve been noticing a lack of joy in the Body of Christ. Christian brothers and sisters seem to have this overly serious attitude about them. When asked about how their faith is going, the usual reply is: “I’m okay” or “I’m struggling” or “I’m hanging in there”. These are honest … Continue reading Choosing to Celebrate God

One of the most profound books I’ve read on the topic of transformation is “The Renovation of the Heart” by Dallas Willard. One of the concepts that Dr. Willard shared was particularly insightful: that the primary resource for transformation of heart, soul and body is “grace.” The more I thought about this, the more I … Continue reading Fueled By Grace

Jerry sensed God speaking to him as he listened to the missionary speak of short term missions opportunities to a foreign land. But as he started to fill out the response card, inner voices flooded his mind, “Who do you think you are? They’re looking for mature, experienced Christians; not a spiritual baby like you. … Continue reading Deleting the Old Recordings of our Past

A few weeks ago I spent one Sabbath day looking over journal entries from 1998.  It was eye opening to relive the events of that year from the perspective of my relationship with God. I was amazed to see how far I had come, even more so amazed at how far God brought me during … Continue reading Chronicling the Journey through Journaling

“Passionate Worship.” Now that phrase probably drums up certain images in your mind, perhaps like the photo you see above. We think of a worship service. We think of singing a worship song with great intensity and focus. Perhaps there is lifting of hands. Perhaps there are tears streaming down your face. Perhaps there is … Continue reading What Passionate Worship Looks Like

The fourth and last movement of a symphony is usually called the Finale. It is usually the most exciting movement because it is the culmination of the opus; a closure of the composer’s singular intention, developed over the first three diverse movements, containing numerous themes and motifs. The Whole Life Worship paradigm operates in the … Continue reading Worship in the Congregation