e*sf Final Project

As I have heard Dan Wilt talk many times about lighting a candle each morning as a physical act to acknowledge devotion to God, and God’s devotion to us, I began to think that I too need a daily reminder, a moment when I center my attention and focus solely on Father God. I wrote this prayer to do just that. It is simple enough to memorize and recite on a regular basis, as a firm place to begin and end the day.

The idea to do a video was actually a bit of an accident. This is not media I normally use, but I have been learning iMovie while working on some random projects over the past week, so it is the medium I’ve been focused on.

I kept thinking about that candle…and then it came to me. I was inspired!

I used the video camera in my phone to shoot the lighting of the candle, then gathered photos of my own, as well as from my sister who is a photographer, and from a friend who did a photo shoot with me recently for my website. The song by Michael Gungor has been replaying in my head consistently over the past few weeks and has become my prayer, “You have me, You have me, You have my heart completely.”

This is my expression of devotion to God. This is “The Prayer of an Elemental Life.”

e*sf Week 4

Essentials in Spiritual Formation Week 4 Discussion Q&A

Question:
This third week we looked at “Water,” and have turned our reflection to the aspect of “community,” and it’s importance in becoming like Christ across the challenging pathway of a lifetime.

Drawing insights from Jesus’ life, what are the “Water” habits that you feel like you are currently strong in, and which are those areas that you feel weak? What strengthened you from your readings/media this week? Share your ideas on “the communal life” that have worked well for you, and draw wisdom in your areas of weakness from others’ posts.


Answer:
I lean toward being an introvert, which is often a surprise to people when they find out because I am very expressive as an artist and as a leader. In all honesty, however, I recharge alone, or with one or two of my closest friends.

I will work a crowd if necessary, and will be quite comfortable doing so. I have many opportunities where I lead worship and speak publicly to groups of people, but time spent with a trusted friend or two, with whom I have equity and trust, is critical.

Recently, I was given some information that was very difficult to hear. I was at the beginning of a 4-hour drive alone in my car when this information connected me to places of deep grief and loss that had happened over the past 2 years. I know my tendency in these situations is to tuck in and indulge the grief, to let my thoughts run wild, perhaps making things worse than they truly are. Often our imagined truth is far more painful than actual truth. Taking our thoughts captive as the Bible says is not always easy to do when left to our own devices. (1)

I have learned in these times to reach out to one of a few trusted people in my inner circle of friends, with whom I have great trust and equity. I called one of them and let it all hang out, so to speak. It was met with loving words and encouragement, along with hope to keep moving forward.

This is a communal life. I need to know that I have those in my life I can fall on in times of distress and know they will catch me with no judgment, yet will also speak truth to me in love.

1) 2 Corinthians 10:5

e*sf Week 3

Essentials in Spiritual Formation Week 3 Discussion Q&A

Question:
This third week we looked at “Fire,” and have been reflecting on our need for a constant empowering from the Holy Spirit to live a substantial life that impacts the world all around us. Disciples of Jesus, across history, have recognized their need for the Spirit of God to do more in and through them than they could ever do in their own strength.

Considering Jesus’ life, what are the “Fire” habits that you feel like you are currently strong in, and which are those areas that you feel weak? What strengthened you from your readings/media this week? Share your ideas on “the empowered life” that have worked well for you, and draw wisdom in your areas of weakness from others’ posts.

Answer:
This week’s topic has reminded me of an illustration of a car coasting downhill. Because of gravity and momentum, the car can go for a while on it’s own, but once the hill levels, unless there is fuel in the tank, it will eventually coast to a halt. I believe the element of fire/power is critical to keep us moving forward.

NT Wright said in “Simply Christian” that, “Without God’s Spirit, there is nothing we can do to count for God’s Kingdom.” (1) I believe this is the place I must start: reliance on the Holy Spirit. Without His presence and power, there is no point. Our own efforts will only take us so far.

In “The Elemental Life,” Dan Wilt offers suggestions for living an empowered life. One is to establish a core prayer circle. Another is to “Choose to place yourself in obedience situations that feel somewhat uncomfortable, but into which you have been invited by God.” (2)

God invited me earlier this year to begin a nonprofit ministry for worship development. (www.simply-worship.org). Much of what I have been learning here with worshiptraining.com has poured directly into the vision and mission of this ministry.

This is my destiny and it drives me with great passion, but my own energies, ideas and efforts will only take it so far. I must balance my passion with complete dependence on His power to enable me to pull it off. What He has called me to is beyond my ability, but not beyond His.

Because I realize my own inadequacies and my need of Him, I have a formal prayer shield of trusted friends who take prayer seriously. They cover and fight for me in the heavenly realms. I rely on them to hold my arms up and speak life and encouragement into me when I get overwhelmed and tired. They help fan the flame!

1) NT Wright, “Simply Christian,” Harper One, 2006, P 122
2) Dan Wilt, “The Elemental Life” eBook, www.worshiptraining.com, P 25

e*sf Week 2

Essentials in Spiritual Formation Week 2 Discussion Q&A

Question:
Building now on our readings and reflection, we looked this week at “Wind,” and the strange idea that personal inspiration may have more to do with our spiritual development (and even discipleship) than we ever thought before.

Looking at Jesus’ life, what are the “Wind” habits that you feel like you are currently strong in, and which are those areas that you feel weak? What strengthened you from your readings/media this week? Share your ideas on “the inspired life” that have worked well for you, and draw wisdom in your areas of weakness from others’ posts.

Answer:
There is much to be said about “self care.” Denying ourselves to the point of losing who we are for the sake of everyone and everything around us is no longer a virtue, but a liability. We are created in the image of God, and each of us is uniquely designed to do what God called us uniquely to do. The Church has been quite effective in highlighting the depravity of man, but what about the beauty, purpose and unique expressions of the image of God that is man?

I believe as we come to know our true selves, and walk out of the grounded places that we talked about in Week 1, we will be more in tune to what makes our spirit soar, and more apt to let ourselves enjoy it. If we do not live from the places that do not move, we will not be moved by the things that *should* move us.

There is nothing more inspiring than to step into your destiny and finding the thing that you were uniquely created to do. I am thankful that, although the journey has been extremely painful at times, God has set me on course to realize mine. The thing I dreamed of doing is becoming a reality before my eyes. When I talk about it, my heart beats stronger and faster. I can’t not do it. This is inspiring.

Other expressions of wind in my life are: time with my closest friends, new music, big windows, mountain trails, the ocean, sunsets and creating thresholds and language for worship.

e*sf Week 1

Essentials in Spiritual Formation Week 1 Discussion Q&A

Spiritual Formation Week 1 Discussion Question:

Question:
Starting with the idea of Earth: A Grounded Life, we started with the “end in mind” – seeing who we are becoming in Christ, and then considering the elements that “ground us” along our journey.

Looking at Jesus’ life, what are the “Earth” habits that you feel like you are currently strong in, and which are those areas that you feel weak? What strengthened you from your readings/media this week? Share your ideas on “the grounded life” that have worked well for you, and draw wisdom in your areas of weakness from others’ posts.

Answer:
“You can’t shoot a cannon from a canoe.” (1) What a powerful visual, and incredibly true. We often approach our lives and our calling without giving proper weight and care to the things that will enable us to stand firmly and be people of substance who don’t simply ‘look good,’ but who actually ‘are good.’ (2)

Ignatius of Loyola pulls no punches when he says that the first reason we find our souls to be in desolation (darkness, turmoil, restlessness, subject to temptation, apathy, loss of hope and love) is because we have been “negligent in our Spiritual Exercises.” (3) We must give proper care to our interior life or we will fall.

The inner life is where issues of character, authenticity, integrity and all the fruits of the spirit lie, but they don’t just develop naturally. There must be intention. Corrie Ten Boom referred to this when she said, "The tree on the mountain takes whatever the weather brings. If it has any choice at all, it is in putting down roots as deeply as possible." (4)

Strength: As a worship leader, my default for time with God lies in personal times of worship. I am also intentional about cultivating relationships that speak life into me, as well as hold me accountable. I am also intentional about times of solitude, yet as an introvert, I fight unhealthy isolation.

Weakness: I have developed a morning habit of going immediately to Facebook to find out what I missed overnight. My challenge and choice now is to break that habit and instead, have my first waking thought draw me to the heart of the Father through devotional readings, scripture and prayer.


1) Dan Wilt, Essentials in Spiritual Formation: The Elemental Life (www.worshiptraining.com) 6.
2) ibid. 12.
3) Rich.ard Foster, Devotional Classics Revised (New York: HarperCollins Publishers, 2005) 194-195.
4)Ten Boom, Corrie, “Each New Day” (1981) Fleming H Revell Co.

e*g Week 4

Essentials Green Week 4 Discussion Q&A

Question:
What spiritual formation idea or quote most moved you this week? How will you seek to apply to your daily life as a Christian and as a leader?

Answer:
Brian Doerksen’s video clip called, “Safety” resonated deeply with me. He talks about the importance of approaching worship from a place of wholeness and integrity. That it gives us a natural authority that allows the people we lead to have a sense of safety and trust.

He points out that, yes, in music there will be emotion, but rather than trying to hype it up or manufacture it, when we lead out of an authentic, fully surrendered walk with God, the emotion comes out of that real relationship. It is an overflow of what has been cultivated in our inner life.

I believe wholeheartedly that our worship needs to come from a place of integrity. The secret places must be surrendered before the Lord. Our worship must come from places of authenticity. We do not have to be perfect, but we do need to be honest and our hearts need to be pursuing the deeper waters with God no matter what.

This facet of spiritual formation resonates strongly with me. I know what it’s like to lead worship, and even lead it effectively, from places that lacked integrity. I also know what it’s like to have that catch up with me. I know the devastating consequences it brings.

Now, after pressing in and allowing God to shed His light on those areas and bring healing and wholeness, I understand fully the supreme value of being integrated before God and those I am called to serve. I would not trade the road I have walked for anything because it has given me perspective, and above all, a burning passion for a grounded, centered, integrated life

e*g Week 3

Essentials Green Week 3 Q&A

Question:
In what ways does your faith community currently embody the value of
Kingdom Expectation in your worship expressions? How are these
values reflected in your own life as a leader?

Answer:
I am thankful to be part of a church that passionately pursues the Kingdom of God. We believe that God delivers, heals and restores. Even more than believing He can, we expect that He will. Kingdom expectation is a core value and it is consistently modeled in all our ministries.

I resonate with Dan Wilt in his eBook when he says, “We may need to create different contexts in which different things can happen, to serve this mandate.” (1) Referring to the mandate we have to create places where God and man meet.

We have done this well with our healing prayer ministry, as well as with the variety of cell groups we offer. We also have a monthly unscripted, organic, Spirit-led worship circle called “Third Friday.” These all offer various connection points for people to encounter the Living God.

Twice a month, we open up our church for the community to come and receive prayer. As this ministry continues to grow, we have seen a substantial increase in the number of people who do not regularly attend our church. Some have come simply because they saw the sign for healing prayer.

Leading worship over our times of healing prayer is my primary ministry. I always begin the 90 minute set with songs that invite the presence of God, because with His presence comes His power. We want His power.

The healing prayer team volunteers meet 30 minutes early to worship and pray with expectancy for God’s Kingdom to come. It does come - powerfully, miraculously, palpably. We have had countless testimonies of God’s healing power during these times. I have one of my own....

1. Dan Wilt, M.Min. “Envisioning Encounter, Reclaiming Our Values in Worship” Essentials Green P 22

e*g Week 2

Essentials Green Week 2 Discussion Q&A

Question:
In what ways does your faith community currently embody the values of
1) Accessibility and 2) Cultural Relevance in your worship expressions?
How are these values reflected in your own life as a leader?


Answer:
About a year ago, God called me to create a personal worship leader vision statement. After some adjustments, I landed on the following:

“My vision as a lead worshipper is to submit myself fully to the leading of the Holy Spirit in creating an atmosphere for worship that is: 1. as free from distractions as possible; 2. with as many entry/access points as possible; 3. for as many people as possible to experience a personal and intimate exchange with God while corporately engaging God’s presence.”

Worship should be accessible because God is accessible. The worship moments that we facilitate, may not connect perfectly with everyone at every time, but, we certainly need to make every effort to connect effectively with the unique body we are called to serve.

I love the analogy that Dan Wilt used in the eBook about wheelchair accessible ramps (1). Yes, this is what we do - we build bridges, doorways and ramps, offering an invitation to EVERYONE to come “Taste and see that the Lord is good” (2). Catering to our likes and dislikes without regard to those we are called to serve creates chasms and builds dams.

One of the spiritual disciplines that Dr. Peter Fitch says is vital to the modern worship leader is “cross-carrying” (3). He says that there are times we need to carry a cross and sacrifice the things that make us comfortable because, “There will be more need for soul-cleansing in the people around you than there will be for you to artistically express yourself.” Profound!


1) Dan Wilt, M.Min., “Envisioning Encounter, Reclaiming Our Values in Worship” Essentials Green eBook, P. 14
2) Psalm 34:8
3) Dr. Peter Fitch, “Inside Living, Outside Giving”, Inside Worship Magazine, Vol. 53, June 2004, P. 44

e*g Week 1

Essentials Green - Worship Values

Week 1 Discussion Q&A

In what ways does your faith community currently embody the values of 1) Intimacy and 2) Integrity in your worship expressions? How are these values reflected in your own life as a leader?

ANSWER:

I struggle to communicate how these values are embodied in my church. The worship culture changed dramatically with the hire of a new worship leader a year ago and our main services took on more of an artist driven concert feel. Many people left, many new have come, and many stayed, yet struggle.

Casey Corum points out that intimacy is not about musical style or volume (1). I agree. I do believe, however, that intimacy in worship is deeply impacted by song choice. Unless we incorporate songs that express vulnerability, reverence and relationship with God, whether it be slow and soft or upbeat and impassioned, we will miss what Peter Fitch calls, “The supreme value of worship,” an intimate encounter with God (2).

INTIMACY: In our healing prayer ministry, intimacy is paramount. It is where worship gives language to the heart cries of broken, hurting people, desperately needing an encounter with God. I believe we do intimacy extremely well in this setting.

INTEGRITY: I lived an unintegrated life for a long time. Even as a known and respected worship leader, I had areas in my life that were not surrendered to God. You can pull this off for a while, but eventually it will catch up with you.

Because my inner life did not line up with my outer life, I made some horrible choices and ended up losing everything. As a result, I chose to deal with the ugliness inside and allow God to heal the broken places and bring me to a place of centeredness and integrity before Him and those around me.

I wouldn’t wish the circumstances of my journey on anyone, but I wouldn’t trade what God has done through them for anything (3). Pursue integrity - it is worth it!

1. Casey Corum, Back to Basics, Inside Worship Magazine, Vol. 62 2007, P. 2
2. Dr. Peter Fitch, The Supreme Value of Worship, Inside Worship Magazine, Vol. 45, October 2001, P. 4-5
3. Personal blog entry from the journey: http://safelythrough.blogspot.com/2009/03/run-east.html

e*r Week 4

Question:

Art and music have always played a vivid, and active role in the worship life of Christians globally. Drawing on book material, the teaching, and your experiences and ideas:

"How could we freshly apply the worship languages of art and music to our contemporary worship expression?"

Answer:

My church has a healing prayer ministry that has amazing impact in our church and our community. These bi-monthly healing prayer times are facilitated by a large team of intercessors, prayer teams, greeters, musicians and artists. It is an amazing snapshot of the body of Christ functioning as it was intended, every member doing what it was created to do as part of something far bigger than itself.

Art and music have powerful roles in this ministry.

When people arrive, they spend a few minutes receiving soaking prayer. I lead a small acoustic team that uses a variety of songs in response to the Spirit’s leading. I invite the presence of the Lord and invite a response to God for Who He is and what He has done. I also give language to the heart cries of the people who come in search of healing. I listen and respond.

Also in this area, is an artist who paints. She doesn’t know what will come out as she begins, but she too listens and responds. She also has a team of prophetic artists who quietly paint on small canvases in the larger room where people are receiving personal ministry. They listen to God as they observe the room and respond through their art as God gives them words for specific individuals. As they leave, the artist pulls the person aside and offers them the picture.

God speaks and the musicians and artists respond. Those who have come for prayer are incredibly touched. We have had countless testimonies of how God used specific songs in worship, or pieces of prophetic art to create liminal spaces where heaven breaks in and healing comes.

It is an amazing dance where art and music sail together by the wind of the Spirit.

I spoke with the woman who oversees the Prophetic Art ministry yesterday and mentioned to her that I had written about it here in the discussion board. She told me that she has begun to realize that different songs I play, different keys and different rhythms represent different different colors to her.

She also said that she will often have a word in her head as she is painting, and then I will start singing that word. It is truly amazing how the dance develops. We are listening to the same Voice and we are following the same Lead.

When I first came to my church in 2008, I attended a Night of Healing Prayer. I came very broken in need of some major healing. This woman was the only artist at the time and she painted a picture of a doorway with steps leading up to an opening of blackness, surrounded by fire. After I received prayer, she gave it to me with some hesitation. She did not know my story, and felt the painting was dark and scary. She said that the only word she had for me was "trust".

She did not know that my life was surrounded by fire at that time. God was stripping things away and refining me. She did not know that I was walking into the unknown and that I was afraid. She did not know that I was taking steps into the blackness where I would have to trust God for every step.

She did not know these things, but God did - and He used her art to speak profoundly to me in that moment. Now, with that painting, I have a tangible reminder of that moment and of His Voice speaking telling me to Trust Him with the blackness and the unknown.

You can see a photo of it on the home page of my blog: www.safelythrough.blogspot.com.

e*r Week 3

Growing up in church, I have been around baptisms and Communion my entire life. I remember the ‘baptistry’ in the church building and the silver trays with mini juice cups. These elements took on ritual for me, but as I have grown, these rituals have taken on new life.

1. Baptisms that incorporate the language of space: In nature, at a beach, lake, river or even a pool, out in creation as Jesus was baptized in the Jordan. Seeing the sky and hearing the sounds of nature add so much to the experience.

2. Baptisms held within an atmosphere of worship with voices and instruments filling the air with songs of celebration while each person is “buried with Him in the waters of baptism, raised to walk in newness of life.”

3. Celebrating baptisms on Easter Sunday!

3. Observing Communion as a meal incorporating the themes of Passover.

4. One of the most powerful times of Communion in my experience was at a Sabbath retreat for pastors where I led worship. The one who set up Communion talked of the various feasts that the Jews observe. He then talked of the Wedding Feast of the Lamb that we will all enjoy together when God sets up the New Heaven and New Earth. "But until then," he said, "we would remember by observing this 'meal' together."

After eating the bread, we raised our little juice cups, as if they were glasses, as he offered a toast to the King of Kings and the Lord of Lords for what He had done for us! Communion has never been the same. Even as I write, it brings chills. What a powerful moment.

e*r Week 2

Essentials Red Week 2 Discussion Q&A

We are now going to begin to mine the past, very intentionally, for jewels that might enrich our contemporary worship experience.

Reflect on the value of communal public prayer, and the public reading of the Scriptures in worship history. Given the historic importance of these practices and patterns of historic local communities:

"How could we freshly apply the worship languages of public prayer and scripture reading to our contemporary worship expression?"

ANSWER

I am currently teaching a class called, “Simply Worship” which is designed to raise up worship leaders for our cell group ministry. Most of my students are not musicians, but they have a heart to bring a worship expression to their groups.

The final week of the series is specifically designed to stir creative ideas for worship that do not involve music. I am incorporating the historical languages of worship (Time, Space, Prayer, Scripture, Symbolic Actions, Art and Music) as a backdrop to develop this class. As I look at the historical significance of prayer and scripture, I am compelled to place greater focus on these elements.

One of the beautiful blends of prayer and scripture that I will present is “Lectio Divina” or “Divine Reading”. This is a practice of reading of a short passage of Scripture multiple times, weaving directed prayer and listening in response to the passage. (For more information visit: http://www.fisheaters.com/lectiodivina.html)

Another idea I am presenting is using the Christian or liturgical calendar as a guide to choosing passages of scripture to be read aloud or responsively in the group. This will help draw focus to various aspects of the life of Jesus throughout the year and be a powerful step toward our own spirituality as Robert Webber discusses in his book (1).

Although songs are often our default, worship expressions reach far beyond the note sung or the instrument played. The primary goal is to provide a liminal space, a threshold, where people are able to connect and respond to God.

1. Robert E. Webber, Ancient-Future Time, Baker Books, Grand Rapids, 2004)

e*r Week 1

Moving on to Essentials Red 2010… Worship History

Question:

Become present for a moment to the ways that the gifts of time and space in your own worship history have formed you. Do you recall times and places that were meaningful to you in your own worship story, from the time you were a child until now?

For our first discussion post, discuss how these worship languages may have formed you as a Christian, as a worshiper, and as a leader. Feel free to integrate the other languages of worship into your post that are ahead in the course.

Answer:

I grew up in a Christian home and have been immersed in the church since my beginning. My upbringing was in a mainline denominational church as well as the Christian school it operated. I even attended a Christian college.

Sunrise services on Easter mornings, candlelight services on Christmas Eves, the reading of the Christmas Story from Luke 2 before opening gifts, Christmas and Easter choir cantatas, Good Friday services as well as baptisms, baby dedications and Communion, have all served to retell God’s story throughout my life. There was never an opportunity to forget.

Ritual was paramount in my church experience and as a result, I fostered a great relationship with religion, but a very skewed relationship with Father God. I needed some readjusting as I became an adult and am thankful that the way it was does not necessarily determine the way it will be. I am now in a place where I enjoy the richness of what was formerly ritual.

Time and space profoundly impacted me a few years ago when I was in a season of extreme brokenness. Music had fallen silent and I believed I would never lead worship or play guitar again. A specific song found me in a specific time (August 2008) and place (Perdido Key Beach, FL) and they are forever connected. As I revisit that beach or retell the story, the power of what God did that day becomes present yet again.

There is power in the remembering of His might acts.

Day Interrupted

For Essentials in Worship Theology Online Course with Dan Wilt

Have you ever been upset because your schedule didn't work out, only to find that God had an assignment for you that you would have missed if it had?

Today I went to get my car serviced only to find out that there was a about an hour wait. I was frustrated that I couldn't get right in but decided to run down the street to the car wash with the free vacuum and clean out the inside of my car (which was way beyond overdue).

When I got there, every slot was occupied but one. I pulled in only to find that the hose I had pulled up to wasn't working. I had to back up to the other hose which was directly across from a lady who was also cleaning out her car.

I started going through some accumulated clutter and came across a CD by a worship leader who had performed at the coffeehouse. I had gotten the CD for free and it was still unopened in my car.

Also in my car were a couple of "Kindness Cards" from a "random acts of kindness" campaign that my church had last November. We were challenged to do a random act of kindness for someone every day of the month. We were given these business cards to hand out with the act that points those we blessed to thank God and let them know He loves them.

The set up was complete. I was exactly where I was supposed to be and I had what I needed for the job God had for me to do - I just was completely unaware.

I wasn't paying any attention to the lady next to me until she started talking to me over the noise of the vacuum. I didn’t catch all the details, but she was upset saying she had prepaid $20 for her gas at the gas station next door but had forgotten to pump it. She went back when she realized it but the money had been used by someone else and was gone. She then said that she only had $8 to get her through the week.

Did I forget to mention that I had grabbed a $20 bill from my tip money on the dresser before leaving my house?

I began to realize that this is why I wasn’t able to get my car in right away. I was supposed to be at the car wash, next to this lady, in this moment.

I pulled the $20 bill out of my pocket, grabbed a kindness card, and picked up the CD. I put it all together and handed it to the woman.

Her name was Sandy and she broke into tears, hugged my neck repeatedly and thanked me. She was surprised and extremely grateful.

I used this simple act of kindness to point her to the One who loves her more than she can imagine and I believe heaven met earth in that moment.

I don’t have much to give. I barely make it paycheck to paycheck. What I do have, however, is all God’s, so what I gave her was His to give, not mine. Who knows what He will do with it. Look what He did with 5 loaves and 2 fish...

What happened today, brings me back to the conclusion of “Simply Christian” by NT Wright when He says that we are to be agents of the new creation that is to come, here in the now. We are to bring heaven to earth. We need to “take up our proper role,” he says, “our fully human role, as agents, heralds and stewards of the new day that is dawning.” (P. 237)

I hope Sandy had a taste of heaven today, and that she will listen to the One who pursues her and desires relationship with her. That she will come to know the One who will set the brokenness in her life to rights, and to know the One who came to her rescue.

e*b 2010 Week 4

For Essentials Blue Online Worship Training Course with Dan Wilt.

As Essentials Blue comes to a close, I have been asked to compile a Christian Worldview. What follows is where I landed...

In the beginning, God, in the most amazing creative expression, created. Eden stood in perfected beauty, yet God desired relationship with His creation. He made mankind who bore His image and His likeness and gave him the ability to articulate and reflect back to Himself the worship of all creation.

Man, however, chose to rebel and ultimately severed his relationship with his Creator. Sin and its consequences fell into the created order and God’s heart was deeply saddened.

All of time since has been marked by God’s relentless pursuit of man, to raise him up from his ‘bent’ position and bring him back into vertical communion with Himself (1). He calls to us through our desire for beauty and relationship, and through our longing for justice and spirituality (2).

God revealed Himself as the voice behind the echos through the person of Jesus. His rescue plan was not only enacted, but completed. Heaven met earth and “moved into the neighborhood” (3). No longer is man lost and without hope. No longer is heaven far away and distant. God is Creator, God is King over all, God is Trinity, God is Savior...and He is HERE!

God’s Kingdom has come. Heaven meets earth in every person in whom the Holy Spirit dwells. We are His Temple. It is our mission to be the hands and feet of the Kingdom to come, to be part of God’s new creation, to live as agents of the new creation here and now (4).

“It is time” as NT Wright says, “in the power of the Spirit, to take up our proper role, our fully human role, as agents, heralds and stewards of the new day that is dawning.” (5)

Even so, come, Lord Jesus!

1.Leanne Payne, The Healing Presence (Grand Rapids: Hamewith Books, 1989, 1995) p. 59-60

NT Wright, “Simply Christian” Harper One, Grand Rapids, 2006, Part 1

John 1:14 (The Message)

NT Wright, “Simply Christian” Harper One, Grand Rapids, 2006 P. 236

Ibid. 237

e*b 2010 Week 3 Discussion Question and Answer

For: The Essentials Blue Online Worship Theology Course with Dan Wilt.

QUESTION:

Fully Human - What Does It Mean To Be A Human Being?

We're a quirky bunch, we human beings. In the whole of the created order (at least on planet earth) we uniquely bear the imago Dei, the image of God, expressing God's benevolent kingship in the world through governing, loving, stewarding, relating and tending to this world and one another.

Begin to define what it means to be human. In a sense, we're exploring who it is that we lead into worship. Use words, phrases and ideas from Simply Christian, and the vids and media in your piece. In other words, present a brief theological + anthropological (meaning "focused on humans) reflection that articulates what human beings are all about. Feel free to integrate ideas about the Garden, the Fall of humankind, etc., but you will spending more time on those ideas in the next weeks.

ANSWER:

We are a bunch of stumbling ragamuffins, prone to making mistakes and sin, however, even the most Godless still carry His image. That is why we can find God everywhere, even in what’s coming out of Hollywood and other “unsuspecting” places (1). We are drawn to the story because the echos speak, even when we don’t understand Who’s voice we are hearing.

We are creative beings, no matter how left-brained, or how stifled we may be. When we create, we bring glory to Father God. As we humans do with our own children’s creativity, He takes pleasure in what we create and hangs it on His refrigerator door. (2)

We carry His image as a reminder of His rule and reign. We are to steward the earth and care for it. We are to be carriers of His Shalom declaring that God is putting things to right. This brings the Kingdom to earth.

We are not meant to journey alone. We are called to live in “right-relatedness,” with each other (3). When we do, we demonstrate the Kingdom.

We are carriers of hope to a lost and dying world. Man is desperate to be part of something bigger than himself. It is our job to draw people toward their destiny. Just before he denied Him, Jesus called Peter “The Rock” on which He would build His church (4). Jesus was speaking to the man Peter would become. We reflect His image when we do the same.

Being fully human is not a bad thing, for it is not about embracing our fallenness, it is about embracing God’s image that lies inherently within.

1. Dan Wilt, Southeast Regional Worship Conference, Summer 2007

2. Manuel Luz, Imagine That: Discovering Your Unique Role as a Christian Artist, Moody Publishers, Chicago, 2009 p.37

3. Ed Gentry and Dan Wilt, Two Brothers on Righteousness, audio.

4. Matthew 16:18

e*b 2010 Week 2 Discussion Question and Answer

For: The Essentials Blue Online Worship Theology Course with Dan Wilt.

QUESTION:

Part A: How has your understanding of the theological phrase, the "Kingdom of God" been challenged/shaped by this section of Simply Christian?

Part B: What particular theological idea (within one of the four theological ideas on the Nature of God presented in Dan's material) do you believe has the most importance for the next 10-20 years of worship leadership? Why?

ANSWER:

This section of “Simply Christian” was incredibly stirring. The way NT Wright describes the story of Israel, and then the arrival, ministry, death and resurrection of Jesus is powerful.

God’s Kingdom was totally backward to Jesus’ contemporaries. It introduced, “...what the true God was like, ... by loving one’s enemies, turning the other cheek, going the second mile (1). Jesus was God’s exclamation point on His rescue plan. Jesus was His answer to the echos that cry for beauty, justice, spirituality and relationship. Heaven met earth and they are joined forever.

I especially was challenged by the chapter dealing with the gift, ministry and “point” of the Holy Spirit. The Spirit is not just heaven on earth, the Spirit is heaven IN us who believe. Wright points out that, “Without God’s Spirit, there is nothing we can do that will count for God’s Kingdom” (2).

I believe that the nature of God as Trinity is the most important idea for us as worship leaders. We live in an age where we have never been more connected technologically, yet never more isolated from each other. This world is filled with broken relationships and lonely people.

We need to communicate God’s heart and desire for relationship with us. We also need to love others unconditionally and give them a place to belong. The church often expects people to believe first, then belong. Kingdom thinking says otherwise: Let God draw man to Himself by loving them through us, the Temple, where heaven meets earth.

1. NT Wright, Simply Christian, Harper One, 2006, P. 101

2. Ibid. P. 122

e*b 2010 Week 1 Discussion Question and Answer

For: The Essentials Blue Online Worship Theology Course with Dan Wilt.

QUESTION:

Wright opens our course with ideas related to the four echoes of God in the world. Which of these echoes most deeply resonates with you as evidence of God's reality, and how does that particular echo reflect what you believe to be the biblically expressed personality of God?

From here, answer how the four 'echoes' relate to the theology and worldview represented in the worship songs that you have used/sung in the past year? (Seek to be positive in your answers, but also reflective - i.e. this question is meant to engage our theological thinking related to worship songs, not to create a song-bashing session).

Consider the second half of the question less in the light of "what songs am I doing that match these echoes," and more in the light of "how is the contemporary worship song body of work doing at giving voice to these echoes - the celebration of creation, the longing for justice, the magnetism of relationships and the hunger for spiritual reality."

ANSWER:

Justice calls loudest to me. We live in a fallen world that longs for things to be made right. There is so much that doesn’t make sense to our finite minds. The question, “Why” often looms heavy. “It’s not fair.”

Romans talks of creation being “pregnant” with expectancy for deliverance. (Romans 8:22-25, MSG) The echo calls out. It is not left unanswered, however, because God has chosen to reveal Himself, to engage in our world. We have, as Dan Wilt puts it in his eBook, Stumbling Into Mystery, Toward a Theology of Worship, a God who “suffers with, suffers for, suffers among.” (Pg. 4) We have a God who acts. (Pg. 6) We have, in the person of Jesus, the One who came to make things right.

I oversee worship for our Healing Prayer Ministry. Much of what I do is seek to put language on the heart cry of those who come for prayer. I sing over people of God’s faithfulness, goodness, beauty and love, and give voice to the fact that He is worthy to be worshipped simply because He is.

From the songs I’ve been exposed to, many express the cry for justice in the context of our human condition. Many seem to voice the beauty of His creation. I also believe our songs are doing well to express our hunger to know Him more and for Him to make Himself known (spiritual reality). Our relationship to God is covered well, however, I believe we need to better express the echo which calls for community with others.

Making Sense of the Voices

For: The Essentials Blue Online Worship History Course with Dan Wilt

Week 1 has been completed. And oh, what a journey it has been. The material is so rich, so powerful, so transformational.

I woke up this morning with an 'epiphany'. It is starting to click. It is beginning to make sense. There is much I am learning. Some of what I am learning is just for me. Some of it is for me to share with others. All of it is permeating how I am approaching the class I am about to teach.

My synthesis of the "Aa-ha moment" is this:

In her book, "The Healing Presence", author Leanne Payne talks about man being created in the Garden in perfect vertical communion and relationship with God. When man fell, he became "bent". He became focused on himself, on creation and on his desire to be like God. All of time since has been God's pursuit of man to bring Him back into the vertical position, back in perfect relationship with Him. (1)

Man was created for Eden… in perfect beauty. In Eden was ultimate fairness and justice. In Eden, man had unobstructed relationship with God. In Eden was full and complete spirituality. But man chose poorly, seeking to go his own way. Creation's relationship with Creator was broken. Sin entered the world and all of the consequences followed. The space in our spirit that God longed to fill became a gaping, empty hole.

God pursues us through the 4 voices we have been pondering this first week.

God, Who is beauty, calls out to us through creation, "Look at Me. I am beauty that will never fade.

God, Who is justice, calls out to us from the unfair and brokenness around us to say, "Look at Me. I am putting things to rights."

God, Who is Trinity, calls to us through our desire for relationship, "Look at Me. I created you to have relationship with Me. I desire relationship with you."

God, Who is spirituality, calls to us through our longing for something more in this life, "Look at Me. I am Who you seek. I am What you need. I am the only fit for the hole inside that longs for something more. I am the 'something more'. I am everything."

…to be continued.

(1) Leanne Payne, The Healing Presence (Grand Rapids: Hamewith Books, 1989, 1995) p. 59-60

Overwhelmed and Challenged… by Essentials Blue

For: The Essentials Blue Online Worship Theology Course with Dan Wilt.

I have been on a journey into Blue. Essentials Blue, that is. I have been "Stumbling into Mystery" as Dan Wilt puts it with the title of his eBook. I am attempting to grasp that which cannot be contained in my finite brain.

My journey begins with the echos of voices that point beyond themselves. The "longing for justice, the quest for spirituality, the hunger for relationships and the delight in beauty". (NT Wright, Simply Christian, Introduction page x). Which of these voices cries loudest to me? How are the worship songs being used today doing in expressing these voices? What about the songs I'm using?

Thoughts surrounding the echos swirl in my head. Every time I think of a song, I now run it through the paces, so to speak, to see if, what and how it handles these voices. But then, that was the point.

Which voice gets the most credit? Which voice seems to be neglected or inadequately expressed? How do I interpret these voices in my own life?

Questions have been raised. Answers are illusive.

I know the pieces will fall into place as the course continues, but the issue for me is that I am only 1 week away from teaching a series of classes designed to identify, train and equip worship leaders for my church's cell group ministry as well as our healing prayer ministry.

How do I capture and communicate the essence of worship Theology, that which I have been swimming in for only a week, in a 90 minute class? It seemed easy enough - until I dove in.

Now, I'm going to go try and stare at the sun. (NT Wright, Simply Christian, Part 2)

The Introduction to Essentially Cathy

OK, so I've been watching this worshiptraining.com thing evolve over the past three years since I met Dan Wilt at a Southeast Vineyard worship leaders conference I helped to plan and execute. In July 2008, I thought I was on my way to St. Stephen to do the official "Masters in Ministry" program. Just days after a conversation with Dan in the green room at a pastor's conference where we had just led worship, my world fell apart. I don't mean that I hit a bump or two. I mean my entire world, everything that I knew, everything I used to identify myself… was completely wiped out.

I spent the next year just trying to survive, regroup and heal.

Out of His sweet mercy, God placed me in a new church family, one that had nothing to gain, lose or protect by taking me in and embracing me. They had no frame of reference for who I was, what I did, or what I could do for them. I was just a broken woman in desperate need of some hope.

I found it.

Here I am a year and a half later standing face to face with my destiny. I'm still not back at 100% after those devastating losses. Nor does my life look anything like it did the summer of 2008. Nor would I trade what God has done through the losses, pain and brokenness for anything. But I know that my heart beats faster and stronger when I talk about developing worship leaders, when I dream of mentoring up the generation behind me to do what I've done for 20 years.

On the eve of 2010, I opened up yet another email from Dan advertising one of the Essentials courses and I felt God say, "It's time". It's time for me to jump into the pool and get equipped for the job that is before me - so here I am! Let's roll.