September 6, 2005

• Songs are Prayer and Life is a Mission of Love

  
  

  Here it is after midnight and I can’t sleep, I have to get up in a few hours… to start a new day in prayer , in study, in mission and worship of God through work and other stuff. I can’t sleep because my heart is just so full right now I have all these things racing through my head, mainly, Jesus. I long so deeply to be near him. A couple friends and I, Larry and Kelly, as is our custom, went to Patti’s Retirement home tonight, we sang, we prayed, and we just “loved” in such a powerful way. My friend Kelly came along for the first time and we just had some great conversation about God and mission which I will share more of a little later here. But first I want to talk about how God spoke to me when I got home and tied today’s experiences together.
  
  We sang over twenty five songs tonight. Something I just love doing. I never really thought about it, except to say that I just love to sing songs to God. When I sing I feel pain, when I sing I feel warm arms, when I sing I feel love and when I sing I feel close….to Jesus. Not just tonight, but at our worship gathering on Sunday too. When I play bass, or when I am in the audience singing, I feel all these things. I look at people around me occasionaly and I see many with deep expressions on their faces, sometimes tears in their eyes, arms raised toward God. I did not come from this tradition as I was growing up. I also see others standing there just kind of singing, with very little emotion, I am sure they also did not come from that  tradition (Note: this is not a critiscism on anything or anyone).
  
  Okay, tonight……….tonight as we sang these songs, as I felt the presence of God around me, as I heard the responses of joy in some of the elderly residents we were singing to as we performed…..it just filled my heart. Now, here is where God started talking to me……it is so great to have God in my life where we share a deep relationship….I talk to Him and He talks to me….and we just feel close. Anyway, I am studying James chapter 5 right now I when I got home I was on verse 13. It is so awesome when God speaks! Listen to this:
       James 5:13 (The Message version) “Are you hurting? Pray. Do you feel great? Sing.”
  
  Short, and to the point….but wow, it explains so much to me! Back to where I was before, looking at the people around me, looking at my self and wondering why, as it has not been my tradition most of my life, why I feel such a connection with God when I sing, why my arms are in the air, why I often well up inside. Our singing is directed TO God. As I sing words of love, of praise, brokenness, and adoration……I’ve been praying and lifting my heart to God. I have found that I often sing with my eyes closed as much as possible, I lift my voice to Jesus…..and Jesus smiles and touches me……..I think that is why I have broken with my tradition. That is so much why I feel free and unshackled. That is why as I see singers like Christi come off that stage, she often has tears in her eyes or is on the verge…it’s because as she has been singing she has been sharing her heart with our Lord and He is right there in her midst reaching out and embracing her with a smile. Our songs are prayers, that’s why we lift them up, that’s why we often feel so deeply as we sing, that’s why it’s great to well up inside to dance with the Lord in our hearts. Oh, if we all could see that our songs are prayers, not just words and melody……..

  
  

  Another neat thing happened to me today. As Kelly and I were returning home we were talking about my ministry at the retirement homes, I was sharing why I do it, and I was sharing that God called on me to do it. Kelly coaches young boys in football, younger than middle school age. As we contemplated these things that we do we realized that this is what Jesus has told us ALL to do in so many ways…..COACH FOOTBALL….no, just kidding……Matthew 25:34-40 came to my mind here, Jesus speaks telling us

  
  

  34 “Then the King will say to those on his right, ‘Come, you who are blessed by my Father; take your inheritance, the kingdom prepared for you since the creation of the world. 35 For I was hungry and you gave me something to eat, I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink, I was a stranger and you invited me in, 36 I needed clothes and you clothed me, I was sick and you looked after me, I was in prison and you came to visit me.’ 37 “Then the righteous will answer him, ‘Lord, when did we see you hungry and feed you, or thirsty and give you something to drink? 38 When did we see you a stranger and invite you in, or needing clothes and clothe you? 39 When did we see you sick or in prison and go to visit you?’ 40 “The King will reply, ‘I tell you the truth, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers of mine, you did for me.’

  
  

  Okay, so why did Jesus call Larry and I to spend years singing and playing songs for the elderly and my friend Kelly to volunteer to coach young boys in football? Because we are each to use our gifts, our talents, our passions, to reach OUT to someone. Because there is a need, because this is obedience, not in the legal sense, but in the real sense. Oh, what a ministry, to teach young men that someone cares enough for them to give of there time. Someone cares enough for them to teach them real life’s lessons of teamwork, of caring for each other, of doing their small part to change the world (or at least win the game…isn’t that the same thing?). And what’s most important here is that Kelly has it in his heart to teach them to play with a rightous heart, not to cheat, not to hurt, not to do the wrong things to achieve their goal. He’s affecting young hearts for Christ. Maybe he’s not preaching Jesus directly all the time but he is certainly teaching Jesus principals…..and when he has the opportunity, he introduces them to the real coach…..Jesus.
  
  I’ve gone on long enough. If anyone reads this to the end, thanks for joining me. If this is the only part you’re reading (the beginning and the end) that’s cool….it is pretty long   

  
  

  We have a world to change…..one person and one situation at a time. We have disciples to make, and we have a God who loves us passionately and smiles when he see’s us “gettin it”, just like we smile when our children, “get it” and do awesome things.

  
  

  We have hundred’s of thousands of people who have been affected by a terrible natural disaster, Katrina, and there are allot of needs……..‘I tell you the truth, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers of mine, you did for me.’

  
  

  God Bless!

  • 1:46 am
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