After you read this post, read the next one, too ... Be blessed!
Friday and Saturday in Wilmington, Ohio, hundreds of teens, young adults, young families, parents, grandparents, and more gathered to worship and pray and hear a clarion call to the life of prayer, worship, and wholehearted devotion to God. I stood in awe watching the young people in abandoned worship, faces raised to heaven, arms reaching high, sometimes tears streaming, other times with shouts of joy. I danced in abandoned worship, too, with people of all ages who celebrated the goodness and beauty of our Beloved King, Jesus!
But what took my breath away more than all of that was watching the response to the altar calls. Saturday morning: "Who here feels the call to devote their lives to worship and prayer?" Hundreds raised their hands. "Who here is a musician or singer who feels a call to this?" More than a hundred went forward. Saturday night: "Some of you here feel a burning in your heart to be a forerunner." I thought to myself, "A lot will go forward." But the speaker did not call them out. Instead he pressed them and told them what it would look like to devote your life to a sacred charge -- a life of regular prayer, fasting, giving, serving ... far beyond what the average pastor would dare to suggest ... And I thought to myself, "Oh, about five will go forward." The speaker released the call to the altar for this, and to my great surprise what seemed like a hundred went forward!!
Who were these passionate youth surging to the front to answer the call to a life of prayer and sacrifice? Well, for starters, my teens and most of their friends who were there, too!! What does it mean? Lord, help me, I don't quite know yet. I've modeled a life of intimacy and prayer, somewhat consistently. But I know that I'm not ready to lead by example in this life of weekly fasting, giving 20%, serving in the community once a week, leading prayer meetings and Bible studies once a week ...and speaking boldly. However, I sure want to get behind them and support them in every way the Lord asks.
Who else wants to join me?
Sunday, August 21, 2011
One Thing I Desire .... Celebrating Together
This morning as I worshiped the Lord with my little girls at church, I felt so incredibly blessed. After spending 4 hours worshiping, praying and listening Friday evening at OneThing and another 4 hours worshiping, praying, and listening Saturday evening at OneThing ... and after getting to bed way past bed time, these girls got up and said, "Mommy, can we please go to Life Church Norwood this morning?" As it turned out, this morning there was no children's church ... a one time change that was truly a blessing ... and so it happened that we sat, practically cuddled together in our row, worshiping and listening to a message on David and Psalm 27:4, "One Thing I desire ...."
Nearby sat a young couple with an infant and toddler, neither of which stayed very quiet. They weren't unhappy ... just a bit noisy. The babbling at times was so vocal and so clearly not English that I wondered whether there would be an interpretation of tongues following it! But no one seemed to mind ... much anyway.
As I listened to the message, with my three girls (now 8, 10 and 11) so close and so quiet, I recalled the years of hard work that preceded this quiet contentment. It seems so long ago, but the memories are still vibrant -- memories of leaving a prayer service repeatedly to sit in the hallway and explain, with patient, loving sternness, the need for obedience in the prayer room ... memories of teaching (with great perseverance) the meaning of the word quiet ... and so much more. How many hours, days, years of hard work went into the formation process? How much patient persistence mixed with prayer and tears? Whatever it took, the cost sure is worth it. The reward of these labors is so intensely sweet and fills my heart with deep contentment.
My heart swelled with gratitude to the Lord for leading me down the path of bringing my children into His presence, often, both at home and in services, conferences, prayer meetings, and more. As I continued to listen to the One Thing message this morning, my thoughts were also drawn to my two teens who attended One Thing with us. Their hearts are so alive with passion for Jesus and a deep, burning desire to worship and pray. As Joshua, the pastor, delivered the message. I thought that indeed he should be delivering it to the hundreds of youth who had just gathered over Friday and Saturday for One Thing, just north of here in Wilmington. It would have fit so well as a final word -- that the call to seek the Lord in accordance with Psalm 27 is not a call to neglect the rest of our responsibilities. It is not a call to ignore our children or to quit or jobs. (David did not leave his sheep to fend for themselves! He killed the lion with his bare hands!) Our call is to keep our gaze fixed on the Lord - the Lover of our Souls - and to do all things we are called to do in this season of our lives with a heart of excellence ... as unto the Lord and out of deep love for Him.
Thanks, Joshua! We need that reminder regularly.
In a separate post I will tell more about One Thing...........
Nearby sat a young couple with an infant and toddler, neither of which stayed very quiet. They weren't unhappy ... just a bit noisy. The babbling at times was so vocal and so clearly not English that I wondered whether there would be an interpretation of tongues following it! But no one seemed to mind ... much anyway.
As I listened to the message, with my three girls (now 8, 10 and 11) so close and so quiet, I recalled the years of hard work that preceded this quiet contentment. It seems so long ago, but the memories are still vibrant -- memories of leaving a prayer service repeatedly to sit in the hallway and explain, with patient, loving sternness, the need for obedience in the prayer room ... memories of teaching (with great perseverance) the meaning of the word quiet ... and so much more. How many hours, days, years of hard work went into the formation process? How much patient persistence mixed with prayer and tears? Whatever it took, the cost sure is worth it. The reward of these labors is so intensely sweet and fills my heart with deep contentment.
My heart swelled with gratitude to the Lord for leading me down the path of bringing my children into His presence, often, both at home and in services, conferences, prayer meetings, and more. As I continued to listen to the One Thing message this morning, my thoughts were also drawn to my two teens who attended One Thing with us. Their hearts are so alive with passion for Jesus and a deep, burning desire to worship and pray. As Joshua, the pastor, delivered the message. I thought that indeed he should be delivering it to the hundreds of youth who had just gathered over Friday and Saturday for One Thing, just north of here in Wilmington. It would have fit so well as a final word -- that the call to seek the Lord in accordance with Psalm 27 is not a call to neglect the rest of our responsibilities. It is not a call to ignore our children or to quit or jobs. (David did not leave his sheep to fend for themselves! He killed the lion with his bare hands!) Our call is to keep our gaze fixed on the Lord - the Lover of our Souls - and to do all things we are called to do in this season of our lives with a heart of excellence ... as unto the Lord and out of deep love for Him.
Thanks, Joshua! We need that reminder regularly.
In a separate post I will tell more about One Thing...........
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