Christmas Blessings!

   

     At this busy time of year, I hope everyone enjoyed wonderful presentations of worship around the Christmas theme whether it was through Musicals, Drama, Poetry, Cantatas, Dance, Caroling, or Non-traditional Tradition, and that those who were observing were blessed. I had the most amazing opportunity to direct a children's play that was a lot of fun for the kids as they learned how to present the Good News of Christ in a creative way. They also learned that excellence as an expectation does not mean to never make a mistake, but to put enough time and effort into what we do, so that no matter what happens, we know what to do when mistakes happens (so that no one else notices) :-)

    Have a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year, and we will be back in 2016 with more insights about worshiping Christ through the arts!

Blessings... 

Blurry Lines . . .

Don’t love the world or anything that belongs to the world. If you love the world, you cannot love the Father.  Our foolish pride comes from this world, and so do our selfish desires and our desire to have everything we see. None of this comes from the Father. The world and the desires it causes are disappearing. But if we obey God, we will live forever.

~ 1 John 2:15-17 (CEV)

     If this seems to be a play on words using a popular song title...it is! The lines are blurry because lately it's becoming increasingly difficult to tell the difference between some Christian ministries and other groups that have nothing to do with God by the ways in which He is being represented, and by the ways that ministries are presenting themselves to the world. In other words, the lines between what is godly and what is ungodly can be hard to discern unless you can see them spiritually. Just look around . . . and it will become very obvious what is being allowed to get our attention.  Money, pride, competition, confusion, compromising behavior and personal drama that calls itself Reality TV is causing people to exalt fame above Christ.

For all that is in the world—the lust of the flesh [craving for sensual gratification] and the lust of the eyes [greedy longings of the mind] and the pride of life [assurance in one’s own resources or in the stability of earthly things]—these do not come from the Father but are from the world [itself].

~ 1 John 2:16 (AMP)

     It has been said that most ministries start out with the right intentions of putting God first in all they do, but as they progress, what they do can become more important than God Himself. In other words, they leave their first love. Other things begin to replace prayer time, study time, rest and refreshing time and they move away from a place of devotion to a place of constant motion, and the enemy can then entice them away from God's way into the way of man, which is the way of the flesh. Next come offers of more exposure, more money and of course the weakening of the message of the Good News to become more "seeker friendly" to draw a broader audience with the prospect of mass appeal, eventually moving them even further away from Christ. At the extreme end of this continuum is the complete removal of God Almighty from their ministry, and the addition of other doctrines and teachings that are a complete opposite of the Bible. This is where some lose their faith, become "enlightened" and no longer even believe that Christ is the only way of salvation, and the enemy has effectively destroyed another ministry.

But this is what I have against you: you do not love me now as you did at first. ~Rev. 2:4 (GWT)

     There has to be a distinction between the way Christian ministries live, behave, believe, and appear in contrast to others. People should be able to recognize when your group goes up to present an ministry offering anywhere they go by the presence of God that is with you. The anointing is more than a feeling, it is the approval of God on what you do! The anointing of God brings a change, brings spiritual sight, physical, emotional and mental healing, deliverance and a reverence for holy things. If the lines are blurry, people will have nothing of God to take with them and all they were was entertained.

And it shall come to pass in that day that his burden shall be taken away from off thy shoulder and his yoke from off thy neck, and the yoke shall be consumed in the presence of the anointing.

~ Isaiah 10:27 (JUB)

     Stop and think...who and what do you represent when you minister? Do people see Christ in your works, or do they only see your skill of presentation? Has the amount of time you spend preparing your ground (environment, personal space, spiritual time) decreased since the time you began your ministry? Is what you do (choreography, garments, engagements, content, awards, popularity) becoming more important than the One who called you? Have you started associating more with non-believers to promote yourself while hiding who you really stand for? If you can honestly say yes to even one of these points, then maybe it's time to pull away from the limelight and reacquaint yourself with your original calling and vision. Don't be one whose works will be burned at the end of your time on earth because they didn't glorify God. There's still have time to make those blurry lines clear!

     Please enjoy this video of "Who's on the Lord's Side" by the late Rev. Timothy Wright:

Rest, Refresh, Rejuvenate

"...In six days the LORD made the heavens and the earth, and on the seventh day he rested and was refreshed" ~ Ex. 31:16

     After all of the Palm Sunday, Good Friday, and Resurrection services, now is a good time to take a step back and rest. It's easy to get caught up in a whirlwind of activity and lose sight of the real purpose of what we do...and even more important than what we do is our relationship with God. We can be called upon so much that our time with Him gets pushed aside, and then we wonder why we are exhausted. May I suggest that we take a moment, however long that moment may be, to do three things? The three things I'm suggesting are to Rest, Refresh and Rejuvenate.

     Rest is very important to God, in fact so important that the Bible says that God rested on the 7th day of creation. It does not say that He created anything else on that day, but that he rested.

By the seventh day God had finished his work, and so he rested. God blessed the seventh day and made it special because on that day he rested from his work.

Genesis 2:2-3 (CEV)

     The word "rested" here is from the Hebrew word shabath which means to repose, i.e. desist from exertion. If God rested from His work, why shouldn't we?  He looked on all of his creation and it was flawless. While we are resting, we have time to think about what we have done, what we could improve, and even what we need to cease from doing. We have time to be more prayerful, take "time outs" to go walking, go to the beach, the library or the park, spend time with family, and be refreshed and rejuvenated, ready to get new direction or continue with the task we were completing. In our rest time, we can listen to what God is saying and also pay attention to our bodies to make sure everything is in tune. We have more time to read the Word and get revelation and insight into Christ and the world around us. Rest is one of the most important things we can do!

     So, while you are putting away the garments, props, and scripts, make plans to rest...you will be glad that you did!

Selah


     Please enjoy this refreshing video from the Blueprint Dancers from Traveler's Rest Missionary Baptist Church...to Nothing Without You by Jonathan Nelson:

                                 

Name That Ministry!

Then the Lord answered me,
    “Write the vision.
        Make it clear on tablets
            so that anyone can read it quickly.
 The vision will still happen at the appointed time.
    It hurries toward its goal.
    It won’t be a lie.
    If it’s delayed, wait for it.
    It will certainly happen.
    It won’t be late."

~Hab. 2:2-4 (GWT)

 

Someone asked a question about how to name their ministry and was asking on a public forum for advice on how to choose an appropriate one. First, let's go back and look at what the word ministry actually means:

• The act of serving; ministration.
• One that serves as a means; an instrumentality.
• The profession, duties, and services of a minister
• The Christian clergy.
• The period of service of a minister.

Now that we know what a ministry is and does, we also have to remember that a ministry can serve anywhere, at any time because it's a service inspired by God to serve people. A ministry is not just a good idea, a project, an recreation, or a showcase for talent, although these things can take place under a ministry, but are not the purpose of it. And. . . just because you call something a ministry does not mean that it is one!

When you are searching for a ministry name, think about the original concept that God gave you when you were first inspired to start. Can you find more than one scripture to support what you are doing? What is it that you want people to know, see, or learn through your ministry, in other words, what do you have to offer people with what you have to give? Ministry exists to point others to Christ, and to uplift them, help them to become better, to give them hope, and to be encouraged. Write those things down on paper, and take some time for your answers. If you come up short in any area, wait. . . pray. . .and go back to make sure that you are really hearing from God before you proceed.

Too many people are starting ministries with all kinds of ungodly motivations, to become famous, to become rich, because others are starting them, because they disagree with what others are doing.
But -- ministry involves lives, and life is the most important thing to God. When you present a ministry to people, they are expecting to receive something that they never had before. The name of a ministry represents whatever you are carrying, and that is what people deserve to take with them when they come to your church, hear your music or singing, see your dancing, and read your books blogs or poems.


A name means everything . . . so before you ask others what your ministry's name should be, get wisdom from the One who gave you the ministry!

 With all your heart
you must trust the Lord
    and not your own judgment.
 Always let him lead you,
    and he will clear the road
    for you to follow.

~Prov. 3:5-6 (CEV)

 

Speak Easy! Pt. 1 - Poetry

 

 

 

Poetry and Spoken Word are gaining increased popularity in churches, as did the resugence of dance in the 80's and 90's. But, what exactly, is poetry, and why is it being done in church?

Poetry is:

·           An art form that uses words in rhythm and verse to show emotions or tell a story

·        Poetry is a way of telling about life through words

·        Poetry can be about any subject

·        Poetry does not have to rhyme

·        Poetry puts things into words that are hard to say

·        Poetry expresses thoughts, feelings, opinions and dreams

·        Poetry can come from anywhere

·        Poetry is something everyone can create

·        Poetry makes the reader or hearer visualize something or feel a certain way

Poetry is a wonderful way of conveying thoughts and observations about life, using minimal words. Contrary to popular belief, it doesn't have to rhyme. In fact, some of the most interesting poems are written in free verse, meaning that the words just flow naturally, without rhyming. Poetry can explore opinions and alternative views of subjects that may be controversial, because the poetic form allows the writer to creatively express his or her message with a variety of words and dynamics that couldn't be accomplished in a regular speech or editorial. One of the reasons that Poetry and Spoken Word are becoming more popular in churches, is that it allows the Good News to be shared in a way that grabs the attention of those who might not otherwise hear what is being said in a traditional sermon, but that same content expressed poetically will probably not be hard to forget. 

 

 In our next blog, we will talk about some of the different styles of poetry, and share some tips on how to get started with writing and presenting your poems. In the meantime, please enjoy this poem by Poetri the Poet: